Elder Scrolls Neptunia
by SoravsGoku123
Summary: Joshua Andrew is just a regular guy who loves games, specifically the Elder Scrolls. But when Alduin the World Eater attacks his home and sends him into another dimension, Joshua has to put all of his knowledge of both worlds together and team up with the locals, to ensure Alduin is vanquished before he destroys everything.
1. Chapter 1

There I was, sitting in the game room, playing Elder Scrolls Skyrim on the PS3. My brother Jacob was playing a game called Hyperdimension Neptunia, which is one of his favorite games. I thought 'great, now I have to hear a dramasborg like that and I just got to Alduin atop High Hrothgar'. Back then, I loved the elder scrolls, and I certainly thought it was a better game than Jacob's. How wrong I was, for as soon as the music started playing (one they fear), my house shook bad.

"What the hell" my brother looked outside and paled. Rrroooaarrr! I'm not going to lie, I was scared like crazy at the roaring, but was really surprised to hear a dragon. It started to speak:

"You wish to challenge me like that bastard Dragonborn did at the throat of the world?!"

"Did it just say 'Dohvakin?'" Jacob whispered. I looked at him.

"I have escaped Sovngarde and my end, for I am immortal, the Son of Akatosh!"

"I have no idea what its' saying!" Jacob seemed shaken. I can understand him? Why?

"Answer oh challenger!" And like that half of my house disappeared.

"Run!" I screamed.

Jacob and I ran through the collapsing house at speeds I could never hope to reach normally. Alduin shouted, and rocks were raining down from above. Now I was in the streets of my hometown running for my life while the dragon searched for me, at least I think it was me he was speaking to.

"You will never escape!" and it landed in front of me. Then it 'spoke' and I dove to dodge the fire. Police were shooting at it, but they either missed or were otherwise not injuring him. Looking back it all looked comical, but I was scared and for whatever reason the music kept playing as if it was the air (one they fear).

Alduin shouted again, and I felt myself teleport to a big city. When it appeared I knew where we were, for the dragon circled above, the rocks rained, and the music kept playing. This was New York City...


	2. Chapter 2

"You wish to challenge me like that bastard Dragonborn did at the throat of the world?!"

People in the streets were screaming and cars, among other things were smashed or blown up by the rocks. Bigger rocks were falling now, and buildings started to fall. I'm no hero or anything, but I know he was speaking to me, and I couldn't ignore him.

"Alduin!" I yelled, and it was like I was 'shouting'. "Alduin! You hard scales monster, you iron jawed breaker! I will challenge you" Yeah right, but at least he stopped the rocks and the carnage (that damn song was still playing).

"Alduin, come now and fall to me, fight me like I was the Dragonborn! No rocks, no quakes, no broken buildings! I challenge you!" That might sound epic, but I was as scared as a mouse ready to die! Believe me, I was being real stupid.

The dragon flattened a car when it landed and then something happened that wasn't in Skyrim. He morphed, or mutated or something and became a man! A man with black armor, a razor sharp sword (which is probably better to fight, at least to me, because if it was a bit dull or duller(?), it could kill me in one swing), and a really white face... Umm, I'm no racist or anything but I figured a black dragon would be a black man/woman if he/she became human, for whatever reason. Correct me if I'm wrong in the most American way!

"I will kill you, and then I will devour this world, until it is as black a husk as Tamriel!" Alduin chuckled as he approached me.

Tamriel!? It exists? Really? And he went and destroyed it? Now I'm angry-

"You never destroyed Tamriel, Dohva! And you won't destroy this either" I gestured to the surroundings. Alduin's smile faded as he kept walking towards me.

I don't have a sword, and I'm no swordsman, even if I did. Well that's it folks, I hope you liked this short of a story, because I'm about to die... I'm about to die...

Alduin's face contorted in anger, and the buildings around me all turned black. The sky was dark... We teleported again... why?

In the distance I heard a woman's voice, even as Alduin walked menacingly toward me sword outstretched and pointed at me. She was maniacally laughing and then Alduin lunged at me.

I dodged, as he would swing his sword, and I sidestepped as he swung vertically, and I limboed as he gave a horizontal swing. This was all happening too fast for me to really dodge, but I was doing it, until he hit me diagonally and I flew across the street.

I was dead, that I knew, and the pain was horrible. I screamed as I fell on top of a light-blue haired scantly dressed woman. Well she wasn't that scantly clad, but her breasts were ready to fall out (sorry ladies) and they, well on hind sight they felt like flesh-good as a pillow maybe and great to look at, but I seriously didn't know what all the hype was about...of course I was a virgin-ouch I hurt bad!

Alduin (in human form) flew across in a matter of seconds and 'shouted' or froze time.

"I have sent you here, in a world about to end, to become your grave. Then I will destroy your world. You will enter Sovngarde with the knowledge that I have ended you and your soul will be eaten by me in earnest" he looked dead serious.

I grabbed her staff...staff? Who uses these things? And where am I? As soon as I grabbed it, I felt better that I ever felt before, like I could do anything. I got up, to his immense surprise.

"How are you standing. This sword was meant to tear your soul" A soul capture weapon, like Umbra!

As we stood toe to toe, the woman's armor disappeared, leaving her naked. Since I want to keep this T for teen I won't elaborate, like I had any time anyway. I was wearing her armor, which morphed itself into great armor that covered me up (I'm not a woman, and certainly not her, so I wouldn't be trying to wear women's clothes), and her body was turning into light sparkles that went into me. Not even joking. After she faded, it's like a light kicked on in my head and I immediately started to attack Alduin.


	3. Chapter 3

Alduin scowled. Not growled or howled or yowled, he scowled. I was beating him, oh yes me! A normal everyday nobody from the low-end middle class beating Alduin himself!

"You will die!" he yelled as we fought through the group of girls standing there. Purple hair? Really? White hair? Blue hair? Green hair? These girls know how to show off, that's for sure. All different colors and scantly clad (mostly); pig tails, twin tails, short hair, long hair- SLASH, SWIPE, CLASH, TING!

"You know dragon" I got boastful right here, I'm telling you, pride had the better of me "I don't know what's more distracting? These women, or your swordsmanship."

"You only stand a chance now, because of that sow! I will send you to Sovngarde" Alduin 'shouted' and I was pushed back. My favorite shout, Unrelenting Force.

"And it is my chance Dragon!" I grinned back as he charged me "You destroyed my home, murdered my family, threatened my world!" Something came over me then...something wrong.

"I-I" I don't know what's going on. And we continued to parry, and block, and attack...

"You are breaking, challenger. Even if you became immortal, using her, I am the first dragon! I will succeed!"

"Ha ha ha ha!" I laughed so hard I was hit to the ground "He he ha ha ha ha" I rose from the ground, and felt I could fly-so I did laughing all the while, a cold mirthless laugh.

"Prepare yourself World Eater, for my next finishing move!" He morphed back into a dragon and rose to meet me in the air.

"EXE attack Final Eclipse!" I screamed, and I swore a woman's voice was mixed with my own.

Alduin 'Spoke' and a jet of fire met my beam.

A great humming filled the air, and we stood there, each pushing our attack to the other.

Then a voice came, another shout and (one they fear) that damn music played again.

"MIRAAK! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD" there was no mistaking it now, he was clearly speaking the language of the Dov, and I could understand him. Then it hit me...

"Hermaeus Mora" I whispered

"DEAD! ALDUIN I AM ALIVE AND HERE TO CLAIM YOUR SOUL!" Dragons were all over the sky now, and 'shouts' could be heard, among roars.

"TO SOVNGARDE WITH YOU TRAITOR!" and Alduin broke ranks to fight the first dragonborn.

"WE AREN'T DONE ALDUIN" I can speak it now? What the hell is going on. I chased him to Miraak. But in a flash they were gone. I hovered there in the air, dumbfounded at the turn of events.


	4. Chapter 4

I descended to the ground and felt myself change. My armor disappeared and my staff did also. I also knew something else, the time stop had ended and the city came alive again. I looked at my surroundings and saw buildings in white and purple. It looked deserted which is natural, I suppose, as the government would have evacuated the people- umm, who was the government, and where was I? That was my thoughts then, for Alduin had said I was in a world about to end, so I knew I couldn't have been on my planet.

"Should we look for them?" I looked up and the girls were flying in their suits and I was again surprised. I could fly, and they could fly.

"What happened to Rei Ryghts? That's what I want to know" the white haired girl had spoken. For some reason, that name resonated with me. Rei Ryghts? I hid myself as they flew over. I had so many questions, but I'm sure they were looking for me and Alduin, and that would raise too many questions than I have answers. I don't want to fight them, especially after Alduin, and I need a grasp of this place first. I have to leave the city.

It was about an hour later that I got out. The 'government' was letting the people back in, and it would be suspicious if I was seen. This place was definitely a new world, that's for sure. Outside the city included a little village among other things, and it was being attacked by a giant floating dolphin...a Giant floating Dolphin! Okay, I think I've seen it all. I summoned my staff. I still think it's stupid, but it feels familiar in my hands (odd that it looks different than before). My thoughts at the time was that I figured, if I ever get to a mages like place, it would come in handy.

I entered the now deserted, half destroyed town. And there it was, the giant floating dolphin, which looked at me and I looked at him. It was Grey, and dead. I lunged with the staff behind me and, attacked. The floating maritime creature dodged and attacked as well, and we were like that for about ten minutes until I was distracted by a flying book. Yeah! A certified air lifted compendium of knowledge was just flying around...and a small woman was on top...I realized right then and there, that I might be hallucinating this entire thing-from the morphing dragon, to the flying girls, to the dolphin that swims in the air - umph. I was hit to the ground. Being beaten by a dolphin was not on my bucket list, and well...I was getting angry real quick.

"Time to finish you dolphin!"


	5. Chapter 5

Well the dolphin disappeared. Yep, when I finally beat it, just like that it-enough about the dolphin. I turned to the place I last saw the floating book woman, and she wasn't there. I looked everywhere, and started running through the half ruined town. I was in a bakery, and a mill, and the town hall. Not a soul to be found. Then I found a mirror, in the house next to the town hall. And I stared at myself in the mirror...I was different! My hair, which used to be brown, was a real light blue, almost white! My skin was fairer, like a woman's and my hands were smother to look at.

I paled, this wasn't right, it wasn't fair, I had some sort of perfume on, I half looked like a girl.

That staff! I quickly summoned it, and studied every inch of it. It didn't look like it was when I first grabbed it, why was it different. I thought back to a few hours ago, not a day had passed since I was in this world, even if I thought it did. I was dead with my 'soul' torn by Alduin the world eater, and I had grabbed the weapon out of instinct. Then that woman, Rei Ryghts, disappeared into me, probably to fill the void Alduin created. That had to be what this was, right. I looked at myself and felt the places that needed to be there. I am still a man! So maybe this was some happy medium, or maybe the change hasn't completed yet! Oh! I swear, if Alduin forced me to lose my man card, I will murder him...

"That Bastard" I changed, I looked into the mirror at the sudden change, and the power I now felt. My hair was a darker shade of blue, but it was still a light blue, my eyes! Once a hazel green-like color, now dark blue with a power symbol for irises. My armor returned and the staff changed to the one I used on Alduin. This was what I looked like when I fought Alduin after she disappeared.

"Ha hah ha hah ha ha!" I felt great, like I felt at the battle with Alduin "You will pay Alduin" And that woman's voice was mixed with my own again, making me more mad.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and I pursued it. It was that floating book-girl from before. She screamed and flew away, but since I could fly, I'm faster.

"Get away from me, I-I mean it, I'll fight you" She was clearly shaken.

"You are familiar to me, but I have never seen you before. What are you?" Her voice wasn't mixed at that last part...so maybe when I'm less angry in this form, I won't mix with her voice. One more step to keeping my man-card.

"Y-you won't hurt me?" she asked.

"Are you in league with Alduin?" she shook her head.

I calmed down a bit, enough that I didn't feel like laughing or anything crazy.

"What's your name?" I asked her

"Croire, and you really do remind me of her" she said, calming down.

"I never knew you were the scared type" I said without thinking, what? I didn't know her at all. I sighed.

"There are things I need to know" I told Croire "And you will supply me with the information. Deal?" she nodded.

"Then let's begin"


	6. Chapter 6

So this city is Planeptune, with its white and purple buildings and in the center is the Basilicom. I was walking toward the Basilicom, and Croire was behind me. A lot of people were gathered in front of the Basilicom. It didn't matter to me anymore, I got my info from the talking book, who I've decided to trust for the time being. The plan is to attack the one called Purple Heart and make her tell me where Alduin might hide. Croire mentioned that would be the only way to ask her.

"-that we have to rebuild, together, and become a good place to live and work once more. I myself will oversee this among other things, to ensure Planetune's safety and freedom" That was twin tails talking. I stopped and listened for a few minutes, her speech was very good, and she was very pretty.

"I thought she was lazy" I whispered to Croire.

"She usually is, lazy and stupid" Croire whispered back.

"Interesting, then" I walked forward, carefully pushing people aside. I am about to interrupt her, using my voice. I 'shouted' because I have that power, and now everyone was silent.

"Lady Purple Heart, I'm sorry to interrupt your good speech" I was able to move through the crowd much easier with all eyes on me "But I have questions and your going to answer me" I transformed myself, spawning my staff and armor, I looked like a badass.

"So Prepare yourself" I launch myself in the air and lunge at her. The attack had begun.

I hit her clear to the other side of the tower, creating a hole. Purple Sister summoned her sword and attacked me with her Multiple Beam Launcher. Purple Heart flew back and went into the fray. I was dodging her sword swipes, but Purple Sister was meeting her mark with that sword-gun. She had to go first, sorry girl. I took her by the arm and threw her into the ground. She was out, for now.

"You fight quite nice Purple Heart" I gave her a compliment.

"Who are you? You can't be her" Purple Heart's sword was grinding into my staff as she said this.

"hah ah ha ha ha ha" I laughed coldly "I am what that blasted Dragon made me" her voice was mixed with mine again.

"Dragon?" surprise was all over her face "Airfore? I thought you fought a-"

"Man!? I am a man!" Our voices were in sync now "That thing was Alduin the World eater" I threw her back, and gave her a swipe of my staff "He sent me here, and he will destroy the world to kill me" She had no idea who or what he was. And wasn't Airfore one of the Seven Sages?

"Destroy? I will not allow that" She was serious about that I'm sure.

"It doesn't matter what you allow or not Purple Heart" I was stalling, to see what she would do "He will enslave or kill you, and probably kill you. The power you have, he will devour. He has to be stopped" That I was serious about.

"Then, those dragons in the sky!" sher surprise was only outlasted by mine for a fraction. How did she know? "You can stop this?"

As I was contemplating on what to say next, Purple Sister hit me in the back of my head, knocking me out.


	7. Chapter 7

"You-your hurt!"a woman's voice was heard.

"I'll be fine" I said.

"You'll be okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine" I re-affirmed.

"That's good!" she exhaled.

"You are...Rei?"

"yes I am" she confirmed.

"You are not mad?"

"For becoming you?" she asked

"I was dead. You healed me" I said.

"I-It's no-ot your f-falt" she stammered.

"See you're upset" I nodded.

"No, I'm not. If you didn't show up-I-I would ha-ave-

"Killed them?" she nodded.

"What are they? Croire Never said-

"CPUs!" She said "Myself included"

"Console Patron Units?" I asked.

She nodded.

"So this is Hyperdimension...my brother would be more suited for this world"

"But you are here" she said.

"Yes I am. Rei, what's going to happen to you? Or me, for that matter?"

"I don't know. But you have my abilities, my title, everything"

"Will I turn into a girl?" she laughed.

"We will be equal, so maybe"

"Damn Alduin" I said

"Will you fight him? As a CPU?"

"No. I will not claim that title"

"Then-

"I'll be known as a Dragon Slayer"

"Really?"

"Like the Dragonborn, since I seem to have their abilities as well"

"Then Al-  
"-Duin will die" we said in usion.

I woke up. That was a crazy dream, to be sure. I talked to Rei Ryghts, at last. She surprisingly was worried for me. Despite what I did-no what Alduin did. There was talking in the backround. So I listened.

"He said something about a Dragon that can eat, and eat, and eat"

"I'm sorry for knocking him out Neptune"

"It's alright little sister of mine!"

"So how can we stop something like this Aldoom?"

"Maybe Darksty knows"

"My name's-"

"Don't call her Darksty, Compa. I don't want you comparing us"

"Yeah, Histy wouldn't falsify information like you did!"

"I thought it would be funny, so could you let me go?" asked Croire.

"Not until he wakes up"

"Ahhhgh" she seethed.

"Bad Darksty" Compa declared.

"Please Compa don't call her that" Histy pleaded.

"Can he stop this, then?"

"I asked him, but he fell to the ground" Neptune said.

"He was beating us though, so maybe" was that Purple Sister?

"Hmmn"

What the-

*STARE*

I really can't stay fake sleeping for much longer, especially if they are looking at me like that...

"Ahhh!" they screamed in usion.

That was me sitting upright too fast.

"Hah, That hurt you know!" I said to them, rubbing my head.

"I'm sorry" Purple Sister stepped forward...huh doesn't look that different.

"You attacked us sooo-

"Neptune, wait" the other book-lady floated forward as well...so there are two of them?

"Yeah, I was told that was the only way to get your attention" I rubbed my head, while looking at my erst-while ally "And I attacked her, and twin tails" I pointed at Purple Sister, who stepped back a little.

"Twin tails?" the other book-lady asked.

"Yeah. Purple Heart, you know, really cute face, dark purple hair, twin twisted tails, almost naked"

"Wha-?" they all gasped.

"I am not almost naked!" Neptune stepped closer, pouting a little.

"You aren't Purple Heart" I said nonchalantly.

"Y-yes I am" she transformed, and then she was Purple Heart.

"oops" I said

"Don't oops me, young man" she skimmed her hands all the way down "Does this look 'almost naked' to you?"

"Neptune" other book-lady reprimanded "You didn't have to use Hard Drive Divinity, just to prove a point"

"Hard Drive Divinity?" I asked.

"Yes, it's an ability given to CPUs or goddesses if you can recall. You apparently have it too"

"I do huh" I looked at my hands "Well, I'm not a girl, and Sorry but they aren't real goddesses"

"Wha-" the exclaimed again.

"Just because your immortal, doesn't mean your divine" I said "Case in point, with Rei Ryghts. She doesn't exist, except as apart of me, and that is the result of Alduin"

"Ignoring your other comment" a girl with brown hair, a green leaf in said hair, and a blue jacket stepped forward "Can we stop this Alduin?"

They all looked at me expectantly. I did think about this, I actually beat Skyrim once before so I know it's possible, but I would need to gain access to Sovngarde to do it like the Dragonborn.

"What is your name, exactly?" I asked.

"IF" she replied. Cute face as well, but she may not be...let's not dwell on it.

"And all of yours?" I gestured to all of them.

"Neptune" said Purple Heart

"Nepgear" said Purple sister. Nepgear? That's my brother's favorite Character.

"I'm Compa" Compa waived.

"Histoire" the other book-lady said.

"You already know mine" Croire said

"Shut it" I said. I'm still mad at her.

I sighed. Never before was I surrounded with all these girls giving me attention. I even had one worried about me. And instead of enjoying it, I'm depressed by the whole situation.

"Well? Can we stop him, or not?" IF asked again.

"Maybe you could, maybe you couldn't" I told them "But I definitely could"

"Wha-?" they exclaimed again.


	8. Chapter 8

I was invited over for dinner, at Planeptower, which I thought was great, considering I had no place else to go. This was also an opportunity to really study, up close, the world Jacob loved. Clearly we had differences in likes, but in some twisted turn of events, I ended up where he wanted to go. All because of Alduin.

"Mmm this is really good IF!" Neptune was delighted in the food.

"Glad you liked it" IF replied, smiling.

"You cook every day, and Nep-Nep never tires of it" Compa said, sweetly.

"She should really learn to cook herself" Histy said, in a matter-of-factly voice "Neptune need sto stop being lazy!"

"I don't think that'll ever happen" IF said.

"Sis has been trying, lately" Nepgear inputed.

"Yeah, since the whole Rei Ryghts thingy" Compa said.

They all looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing" IF said

"Aww, you know that work is boring, and stuff" Neptune replied.

"That attitude will get you killed" I said.

"Huh?!" They all looked at me.

"Just sayin'. If a Dragon attacked right now, would you know how to kill it?"

"I would give it the what-for" Neptune said confidently.

"Do you know how to kill one, besides Alduin of course?" Nepgear asked.

"I've killed plenty (in the game) of Dragons" I said "And not by giving them the what-for either".

"Sheesh, you don't have to pick on me, bully" Neptune slumped.

"Umm, Who is the older sister?" I asked.

Rroarr A dragon in the distance.

"What was that?" Compa asked.

I heard a rumbling now, of a dragon passing by. Roar!

I stepped out to the Balcony.

"ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ME, DRAGON?" I said in the dragon language. (One they fear) That music was playing again.

"Your in luck" I said, transformed, and turned to them "You'll see how it's done"

I flew off Planeptower.

"YOU ARE THE CHALLENGER, THEN" it was a statement

"I AM YOUR DEATH" I 'shouted', and the dragon replied with ice. Malice.

"Hah ah ha ha ha ha ha" I laughed, and charged the Dragon with my staff.

"KROSUS. YOU ARE HIM, THAT LORD ALDUIN WANTS DEAD"

"AND HE CAN GET ME HIMSELF" I said. We fought in the air, his teeth to my staff and armor.

ROAR! He 'spoke' with ice. I answered with Fire from my Thu'um.

"YOU THU'UM IS POWERFUL" he said "I SHALL RESPECT YOU WITH MY NAME, LIVINERVEH" And he 'spoke' with ice. Malice.

He 'shouted' and Planeptune was in a blizzard.

"YOU THINK THAT WILL KILL ME" her voice was mixed with mine "EXE ATTACK: THE DEGRESSOR EXESSOR!" And I shot it at him, as he turned. It hit him square in the head.

Livinerveh smashed into the ground and got up on his for legs.

"INTERESTING CHALLENGER"

I descended to the ground, and through one of the sheets of ice, I saw my reflection. What really got me was the power symbols for irises. They were dark blue, like her were, though her hair, and mine was a lighter shade of blue.

I looked at Livinerveh. Ice was his element, his cruelty, his malice. But it only reflected me.


	9. Chapter 9

Livinerveh lashed out with his front claw. I dodged it by jumping back, before thrusting forward with my staff. The blizzard intensified.

"THIS IS IT LIVINERVEH" our voices were in sync completely.

"YOU CANNOT BEST ME, CHALLENGER" he 'spoke' and ice hit me. I couldn't dodge, but my HDD shield protected me.

"That the best you could do" I spoke English that time. The power I felt was amazing

"Hah ha ha ha ah haha" I raised my free hand. "Exe Attack Final Eclipse!"

"AHHHHGH" And the dragon slumped. My staff started to glow. The soul of the dragon wasn't going into me, but into my weapon, into Rei Ryghts. The power increase was amazing, but while I 'absorbed' his soul, it didn't go into me.

"Interesting" I said and looked up. Purple Heart and Purple Sister were up in the air, freezing. I rose up to them.

"That is how you kill a dragon" her voice wasn't there that time. I sighed.

"Tha-That was amazing!" Purple Sister said, excited despite the cold.

"Yes, well...How do we get rid of this?" Purple Heart gestured at Planeptune covered in snow. At least the blizzard stopped.

"There maybe a way to try" I remembered a shout used to get up to High Hrothgar, but that only cleared the skies... "But we should probably wait for it to melt, it'll definitely get warm enough, and the people have dealt with enough lately" Counting what Rei did, 100% was my fault, well, the blizzard might not count.

Purple Heart sighed "Perhaps your right. That fight was good. We have fought dragons, but they were mostly monsters"

"Remember Airfore" Purple Sister inputted.

"I did say mostly" Purple Heart said, with a slight smile.

"These are definitely different" Purple Sister said.

"They are sentient beings, powerful and arrogant. Not your everyday monster" I told them "They have powers you could only dream of"

"Magic is one thing, but 'shouting' a blizzard is something else entirely" Purple Heart agreed.

"So you can kill them. Any tips for us?" Purple Sister asked.

"What did eventually kill Livinerveh was Rei's, no my powers acquired from her. In other words-"

"HDD then" Purple Heart said.

"Correct" I said "But keep in mind that I have the added benefit of the Thu'um, as well"

"Thu'um?" they both asked.

"I will explain later. But you should not go looking for them." I said arrogantly (though I doubt they caught that).

"If they attack-"

"Then they attack. Are you confident in your HDD ability?" I asked Purple Heart.

"You are talking to the main character" she said boastingly. She really was cute.

"Good then" I nodded and smiled. And my stomach rumbled.

"I think it's time to go back to the Basilicom" Purple Sister said.

"Uh huh, let's go. Wanna race?" Purple Heart wanted to play. Okay, let's play!

"You're on" I said and jetted back to the tower.

Purple Heart beat me, which I had expected, considering I've had only roughly six hours of practice (in two days). They were altogether much more accepting of me at the dinner table, which I found nice, and we were just having fun talking when Nepgear brought up something I forgot.

"So you all want to know about the Thu'um, or what many consider 'the voice'?" It was a rhetorical question, but Neptune nodded anyway. The rest stared at me, ready. And Croire, well Croire was still wrapped tightly in her book, which was bound in rope (not my idea).

"The Thu'um is a Tamriel Dragon's greatest ability. I say Tamriel, because that is were they came from"

"Is there a way to get to Tamriel?" IF asked.

"Not at present, but that is another discussion altogether" 'Ahem' "It is considered a very powerful piece of magic, the likes you may never have seen, even with your abilities, although your abilities aren't something to laugh at either" I pointed to Neptune and Nepgear.

"For you, it is something that may take years of practice...Console Patron Units aside. But to them-to Alduin it is naught but mere words!"

"Wha-" they all exclaimed.

"Like spells or enchantments?" Histoire asked.

"No, even simpler. Imagine having a conversation with someone, and that conversation starts an earthquake. Case in point: 'CLEAR THE SKIES'" The room shook, with the mere phrase in the language of the Dov.

"Ahhhh" they screamed and covered their ears. Compa fell off her chair.

"Ouchies" she said.

"You scared us, meanie" Neptune said.

"All I said was to 'clear the skies'" I replied, but secretly I enjoyed that.

"That didn't always happen" Nepgear said "I remember your fight with that dragon, and you spoke the entire time in that language"

"That usually takes a lot of control...I assume anyway, from experience. It's a learning experience"

"Hmm" Histoire is thinking about that.

"How long do you think it would take me to learn?" Nepgear asked.

"Your no a regular human, so I'm not sure. Why, do you want to become my apprentice?"

"Wha-I-I di-dn't mean that" she got flustered?

"Don't you do anything funny to lil' Gear ya hear?" Neptune said.

I thought about the 'apprentice thing while the others got into their own conversations. They seemed to lose some interest after I said what I said. But Nepgear is kind of like me, at least where my 'HDD' powers come in handy anyway.

"I'll do it" I said.


	10. Chapter 10

"Y-you mean it?" Nepgear was aghast.

"Yeah. You want to right?"

"Of course, thanks!" She just hugged me right there. The remarkable thing about this was...she felt like a sister, or some sort of long lost sibling. I know that is impossible, but it felt right.

"Stop right there, mister!" Neptune pointed at me with a pouting face "You can't have her! You hear me?"

"Nothing will happen, promise." I backed away with my hands in the air, calming Neptune.

The rest of the night was just them fooling around, and doing what they probably do everyday.

Neptune went to bed first, followed by IF, and Compa, with Nepgear about to follow.

"We can start tomorrow" I said. She nodded, smiled, and went to her room.

It was just Histoire now, and me. She looked like she wanted to speak.

"You know" I presume.

"I do. Are you sure you'll be able to teach her?"

"Just because I suddenly have the ability, doesn't mean I can't teach it" I told her.

"And when Alduin is finished?"

"I don't know what'll happen, but that shouldn't affect Nepgear" I scratched my head.

"Whether you like it or not, you are a CPU-the first male I've ever seen. That makes you equal to the four"

"There was more than four at that battle with Alduin"

"Yes, and you might meet them all. A little caution, just a little. If you don't assert yourself, they may use that against you. Even if you can beat these dragons"

"Purple Heart knew about the dragons appearing, and about the fight. But time had stopped, they should have seen nothing? Right?"

"If they were normal. They probably saw and heard about the whole ordeal"

"Are we immortal?" I asked.

"You'll eventually die, as they will, but you won't see death for awhile. Usually their death is their own doing, as I've recorded"

We just sat there, her and I, and looked at each other. Finally she asked it.

"Can you beat him? Really"

"You understand how powerful he really is" I said.

"I'm worried for Neptune, that she will do something rash. She may be lazy, but when it comes to it, she pulls through. And I know she will try, should he attack"

"I don't want to break it to you, but if she does, as powerful as she is...she will die"

"Histoire gasped, and started crying.

All I did was speak the truth, but I couldn't bear the crying.

"He is after me. Histoire, look at me. Alduin wants me dead, this world is just a side show. If Neptune doesn't go after him, he may not show any interest"

"B-but" she sobbed.

"Any Intel you get give it to me. It's my job, remember. I'm the Dragon Slayer" I told her, she looked at me, with those tears and I wanted to pummel Alduin right then and there. And that got me thinking, why didn't we just teleport to a different world? Miraak showed up and...it hit me again.

Hermaeus Mora


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, after the dragon attack, was chaos, pure and simple. I have come to expect that with Neptune around, as Histoire (still a little shaken) mentioned to me that it was normal. I stopped at one point, while eating Cereal from Planeptune, to remember how long I've been a CPU for...Three days. Other than the melting snow, and that IF had gone to help the Guild, in collaboration with Planeptune's officials to clean up the watery mess, there was no news. But there wasn't a lack of information.

Neptune had been complaining about P-ko (?) and her being in Leanbox (?) to Compa and the others, who were trying to console her (to no avail). I racked my brain to try to see if I knew anything about Leanbox...and I couldn't find anything. It must be a place, that much I knew, but for what I was unsure of. If only I remembered what Jacob was telling me...

"-the ultradimension thingy" Neptune was protesting.

"UltraDimension?" I asked, totally missing most of that conversation.

Everyone looked at me, which I was used to by now.

"Oh um, that is a portal that was developed to get Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge back home!" Compa said brightly.

I lit up immediately.

"Is that thing still active?" I asked, concerned.

"Well Yes it is, but Histy would know more about it. Why do you-" Nepgear got it.

"We got to do something!" she declared.

"Take me to it. Is it near the Basilicom" I quickly gulfed down my cereal and was ready to go.

"What are you getting excited over?" Neptune asked "My Planeptune is just as good as theirs!"

"I'm sure it is Neptune. Please take me to the portal!"

"Aww but-"

"I'm not planning on leaving! Just hurry" I should have asked about this before.

"It's still in the Basilicom!" Nepgear took out her weapon "Follow me!"

I summoned my non HDD staff and followed her to the portal. We went down several floors of Planeptower, until we got to a floor that had a sign saying "TOP SECRET- Authorized PERSONEL Only"

"Why is 'Authorized' not bolded?" I asked as we opened the door.

"Neptune thought it would make more sense that way, and deter people from the 'red button' syndrome" Nepgear said as Planeptune soldiers went to attention when we passed them.

"'Red Button' syndrome?" I asked.

"If you see a button, you want to press it, or at least Neptune would. So if you disguise it, maybe you wouldn't want to 'press' it" Nepgear said as we got to the door. I opened it.

There it was, the portal to the 'Ultradimension'.

"Can you make other portals like this?" I asked, as I inspected it.

"Histy would be the one to talk to but I don't think so"

"MARK THE PRINTS" I 'shouted' and the tower started rumbling.

"EEEK!" Nepgear screamed.

I searched with the voice, shouting what I could, to see if Alduin or someone else (not supposed to be here) was ever in this room. With each shout, the tower rumbled and swayed. But no one entered or exited.

"A-are you done yet-t" Nepgear chatted, between teeth.

I sensed that the portal has seen some use, but all who used it were CPU's and one other. Why was I sensing Rei Ryghts? I never used it.

"Alduin is after me, and Miraak" I told her "So as long as we don't use this portal, he shouldn't want to. I'll place a mark on it, to alert me if it is being used by Dragons. Being Dragonborn, Miraak would count, so"

Nepgear sighed.

"I'm glad that's nothing to worry about" she said.

"Where does that lead to, exactly?" I asked.

"An alternate dimension, with a very different Gameindustri. We have friends over there so it's great that the portal's permanent"

"I'll take your word for it" I said.

When we went back up to Neptune's private quarters, it was a mess beyond reckoning. A very angry Neptune was cleaning it up, with a very dizzy looking Compa, while an equally angry Histoire was yelling at everyone.

"You are always lazy Neptune! Compa and IF more times than not are doing your cleaning, and Nepgear is always running the show. It's as if she was the CPU of this nation, and more and more people are viewing her as such!"

"But this is boring! I wannna do something more fun, like playing with P-ko and Plootie and stuff!"

"Keep cleaning!" Histoire scolded, and then she turned to me.

"You!" she pointed and I backed up a little "I shouldn't have to tell you that shouting in the house is bad! You ought to know better! Your a bad influence on Neptune"

"I'm sorry" I said, suddenly on the spot.

"Joshua, let her rant" Nepgear said. (Yeah you haven't heard my name mentioned much, but I introduced myself when I first woke up in Planeptune)

"You should have stopped him!" Histoire turned on Nepgear next, and I took that opportunity to start helping Neptune clean.

She huffed and continued picking up the mess.

"I'm sorry" I said.


	12. Chapter 12

The cleaning was finished, Neptune stayed mad at me, and a host of other things happened today. IF came back, and just as fast left. It seems there was some problems in another nation that had to be dealt with. She didn't even bother to say what nation it was. So upon my query, Histoire said she would do some research and that it would take about three hours. I suppose that was fine with me, so we went to one of the sub-buildings (Nepgear and I) to begin her training in the voice. It did not go well.

"My head hurts!" she complained.

"All you did was shout the phrase I taught you. You need to feel the voice, not utter it"

"I suppose I had higher expectations for my first time" she pouted.

"Well I would say practice, just if you get it right, try not to make Histoire mad" I concluded.

We did continue for some time, all the while I had an inclination to explore Planeptune and the surrounding country. Walking out of Planeptower to a crowd full of people wasn't normal, at least to them. I was stared at, like I was a celebrity who was on 'friend' terms with someone very important. I would have concluded that it was my hair and eyes, along with my 'great' costume that I was wearing (reminiscent of Rei Ryghts) that gave them pause, except that was appropriately normal here. I mean, look at Neptune. Some of them looked at me like that should be them, and not me. I turned to the tower, full of girls (I'll admit, I wasn't exactly sorry at the turn of events, except that my family might be dead, my world might be gone, and I am stuck in something that my brother would have thrived in) and inwardly smiled.

Planeptune was, well, purple and white. Other than that and the incessant Neptune cosplay (?) it was just like any other bustling city of my world. Some people stared at me, like I was familiar to them, and maybe I was. Others didn't even care, and walked the streets to its many stores and places, and went about their day. The biggest difference to my world and this one, was the regalia, the clothing, the look of the place. It was...different, animated like or something.

Water was an issue in some places where the remains of my fight could still be seen. Apparently a blizzard out of no where wasn't as much of a shock to these people as it would have been in my world. Even so there were some who looked annoyed, as if it were an inconvenience that happened all the time here. I would have to ask why someday.

Suddenly my phone buzzed (yeah actually its Rei's but my powers as a CPU allow for me to 'store' things in an inventory like someone would do in a video game. The phone was one of the only things I needed. Not like I was interested in the particulars of her undergarments-ahem).

"Histoire?" I said.

"Its bad! Something terrible is happening in Lastation!" She huffed over the phone "Ordinarily Noire would be the one to deal with this as its-"

"Who is Noire?" I interrupted "And where is Lastation, as I'm assuming its a place?" I think Jacob mentioned it, but unfortunately I was more interested in other things and am mentally kick my arse for this.

Roar! in the distance, and the flap of wings I shouldn't have heard if I were a normal guy.

"There isn't much time!"

"I know!" I said "Damn, send me Nepgear. She can fill the blanks in, and I promised to train her in the Voice anyway"

"Very well, look towards Planeptower then head east, Nepgear will direct you the rest of the way!"

I transformed and took to the air. People looked up in shock, yep I'm embarrassed.

"Good luck" Histoire puffed.

"By your leave" I said and hung up the phone.

Planeptower was easy to spot, and I boosted eastward.

Roar! That dragon again...

It wasn't long before Nepgear joined up.

"Sorry I'm lat-

"Who is Noire and what is Lastation?" I interrupted again.

"Oh right. Noire is Black Heart, the Lady of Black Regality."

"Sounds Gothic! And Black Regality?"

"Lastation" she answered.

"Its like Planeptune, then?"

"In a manner of speaking. Except while Planeptune is-

"Purple, Lastation is black, I get it" Color coded nations, and themes, who does that?

"So other than a Dragon, which is obvious, what is the 'terrible' occurrence in Lastation?"

"That's what confused us. IF said it was someone like you, or at least you would know him."

"Him?" she nodded.

Was it Miraak and his dragons or was it Alduin's Dragons? Or maybe...

A 'shout' was heard and Nepgear fell. A city was in the distance, and I knew it to be Lastation but this mountain she fell at had a building or several buildings on it.

At that moment I grew cold. Then I laughed, and laughed and laughed. I knew what it meant and I was insatiably angry and power swelled inside me. A moment more and the laughter was mixed, Rei's and my own. I descended to where Nepgear fell, she was awestruck, looking at my target in a complex of Ancient Nordic Design. These were the very precipices of Skyrim and in the midst of what looked like Draugr, for they were Draugr, was a Dragon Priest. He faced the dragon and the horde faced me.

I spoke with the dragon first.

"Making yourself at home are you?" Rei's voice was prominent but I was decidedly ignoring it.

"The dragon language Joshua!" Nepgear whispered and I held up a hand to stop her.

He answered "You are the challenger that defeated Livinerveh? Alduin wasn't pleased. Mashtalk will destroy you, for I have given great power to him"

Mashtalk bowed to the dragon as he flew off. If only I knew Dragonrend.

"The gift of the girl pleases me slave" he spoke to me like that and I replied

"Slave priest? High do you speak of yourself if you think to kill me. I took out Livinerveh!"

"So you have!" he prepared himself. I switched to english.

"Ready Nepgear?"

"What did they say?"

"Later" (One they fear) Damn that music.

I charged and so did they.

Staff to staff I was parrying his blows, but his power indeed matched that of a CPU. As the irises in my eyes can attest I am a CPU! I blasted him with magic and took to the air. He shouted and I dodged it. "Shake the ground and blow the skies" he said in the Dov like a spell. Nepgear was thrown to the ground and I was hurled. A powerful storm was swirling around, and the ground continued to shake.

"Ahhh!" she screamed as Draugr were swarming her and as I got up a swell of air pinned me to the ground.

"This is my Power!" he screamed and struck his staff. Lightning shot out and Draugr, more Draugr appeared.

"Power!" I shrieked and I swear, all I heard was her. Oh Alduin will pay. "Power! You have no power Priest. Not over me."

I got up, and this time there was no laughing, no maniacal outlook. But I was suddenly filled with her. The insane, the maniac within me, was let out, and it was all I could take to keep control. Dark looking energies swirled around me and I summoned my staff again. I rose to the air, in the middle of the storm and this time, I was unaffected. I pointed my staff and fired, like I knew what to do. I vaporized the Draugr he summoned, without uttering a single word. What have I become.

Mashtalk scowled and tried to say it again. That spell that knocked me down...no I won't, he won't...I'll stop you.

"Exe attack you bastard" I screamed and my voice was again mixed as I pointed to him with my palm. "Die" and a blast of energy was fired towards him. It hit him, and the Draugr on top of Nepgear collapsed. All of them.

I laughed and laughed, as the mania returned and he looked at me in fear.

"There is no escape! Now tell me. Where is he-where is Alduin." I staggered as Rei's power swelled up again. "Tell me where he is, where he-" My body felt suddenly weak, and I went to my knees. My eyes were wet. I'm crying?

"Where is he!" and her voice almost drowned mine out "He did this bastard, I'll kill you!"

At this he prepared to attack in the manner of Dragon Priests and was about to hit me as I-she kept jabbering at him. What the hell is wrong with me!

"Wher-where is he-ehe" My body sobbed but it was her, and I took my willpower and used it to move my arm. They were big when I saw them, did I... I felt my chest and it was... flat. My groin was ever present (sorry) and I inwardly sighed. I'm still a guy.

"Multiple Beam Launcher!" and he went down. At that I used all my willpower to transform and full control returned to me.

"What was all that?" Nepgear knelt down beside me, a questioning gaze aloft on her face.

"Me or the Dragon Priest?"

"Both" she said.

I took a deep breath.

"I have no idea what the hell happened to me, but as for him" I gestured to the collapsed and unconsciousness Dragon Priest.

"It's possible he's from here, because I doubt Alduin would have taken him from Tamriel, but You are looking at a Nordic structure from the Tamrielic Dragon age. Newly built and now a ruin thanks to us, but something that dots Skyrims landscape. Most of the Draugr are from here as well, because look at the bodies" I gestured to the bodies in a pile "None of them are rotten with time. But the ones he summoned are from Tamriel"

"So there is a way to get to Tamriel?" she asked.

I nodded "Yes, at least Alduin has a way. And he had a way" And what wasn't said was we might need a way.

"Oh no" Nepgear stood up, and became Purple Sister again.

"She's coming"

"Who" I asked and the answer presented itself.

"Black Heart!"


	13. Chapter 13

"Ahhhgh!" Black Heart dove and immediately started to attack me. I summoned my staff, and blocked her sword...claymore. I was pushed back quickly because I didn't use HDD (that last battle freaked me out).

"So I finally meet you white haired girl. Why the hell are you called Black Heart?! You have White hair!" I yelled to her with a smile as she scowled and continued her attack. Purple Sister just hovered in the air, worried but not helping. Some apprentice she is. Another white haired girl was with her, and her face was agitated. She looked at me like I was the enemy and had a gun (?) out. That was a long gun let me tell you-ouch!

I fell sprawled on the ground, as I took in what happened. Black Heart punched me in the gut. I wasn't paying attention.

"Eyes on me cretin!" she pointed her sword at me, and lunged again. I casted a quick shield which shattered on contact, but ricocheted her back a bit. I jumped up, and took the offensive, wielding my staff like Gandalf the Grey. You know, since this all exists, maybe he does too. That would be cool.

"You know" I teased "You look pretty good yourself, but I think Neptune has the one up on you"

That made her pause. "You know Neptune? But your Rei Ryghts! The enemy! She was fraternizing wit-I am so much more pretty than she is"

And with that little spiel, she took the offensive again. Honestly I was hard pressed to beat her, without transforming, but again-that was scary. But wait...I had the Thu'um. I used unrelenting force (Alduin inadvertently taught me that one). She fell on her behind. I 'shouted' again (unrelenting force) and she flipped on her belly. Again I 'shouted' and again she flipped.

"Please st-op" she stuttered, but I kept going. I 'shouted' and 'shouted' and 'shouted'.

"Please" she begged weakly

"NOOO!" the younger white haired girl screamed. I stopped and looked at her. Black Sister...

I looked back at Black Heart and 'shouted' again. She was crying now, and I felt bad (especially since I used the full shout and if she were normal, she would be dead) but I was ready to continue.

"Give up Black Heart-

"No..." she replied

"I am not your enemy" I said in response.

"You're Rei-

"I'm not, I'm a guy"

"But-"

"Give up now Black Heart" I yelled at her.

She looked at me, and cringed in pain, but her gaze remained defiant.

"NOO!" And Black Sister attacked.

I defended with my staff, but most of her attacks were bullets. I casted the shield that I have as a CPU. I had to finagle it around as she tried to get behind it, but it was working.

"Please don't hurt her" Black Heart-no Noire called out. I glanced her way and sure enough she wasn't transformed. But Black Sister still attacked. Purple Sister still wasn't attacking either way, but her worried face turned to one of anger, and it was directed towards me.

Well, perhaps I went too far with the Thu'um. But Noire only really looks tired. The pain may not be that bad...right?

"Aggggh!" Black Sister suddenly charged me and shattered my shield. This time I stagggered back hard. And she showed no mercy-hit...

"Y-you alright?"

"Rei? Rei Ryghts?" I asked

"Ye-es"

I sighed "You don't need to stutter every word you know. If we have to live like this, nervousness should not be a problem, right?"

"Okay, I'll T-try"

"This is a dream again. I think Black Sister knocked me out"

"So...You alright?" she asked less timidly.

"I'll live. Now about that fight?"

"I don't want to talk about it" she said sadly. At least she's doing what I asked her.

"I need to know what happened to me" I replied.

"My HDD form is unpredictable, and you will have to learn how to control it. I can take a back seat when you don't transform, but my transformed state is..."

"Powerful, I got it. 'Sigh' It's not bad, not truly, but I have some concerns"

"Turing into a girl?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm not nor would I ever be a girl, no offense to you" I replied.

"That and my sanity, what if I don't return to normal?" I asked her, and she thought about it.

"I think" she said "That you and me are like one person now"

"That's taking marriage to a whole new level"

"M-marri-age" She said aghast.

"Your stuttering again" I teased.

"B-but...sorry. But Married?"

"I was being funny Rei. It's what I do. Marriage between a man and a woman was always surrounded by the older concept of two coming together to become one flesh, entwined until death, as it were"

"Oh" she said.

I laughed. "We meet the credentials for that concept, so I thought to make a joke surrounding it (since it truly is a joke in my world today).

"Anyway" she changed the subject "We are one person now, so I would show up from time to time, perhaps even in your untransformed state. I see what you see, after all. Alduin did this to us, and while I found that I like you. He-he ruined our lives, yours and mine"

Her voice wavered at that last part.

"I'm sorry for what I did-no what he did. And now I understand. We both felt pain and want him to pay. But that priest almost attacked us, because of our breakdown. Nepgear, if she's not mad at me, will be understandably worried about the turn of events. It freaked her out, like it freaked me out"

"Sorry"

"Don't be, just...we have to find a happy medium, or else I may become a girl, and if that happens..."

"I will kill him" she whispered.

"So what you're saying is, he made you flop around like a fish. Huh ha ah hah ha ha ha"

"It's not funny Neptune"

"He is definitely strong"

"Uni, that's putting it mildly. I still can't believe you knocked him out" said Noire "Neptune stop laughing already"

"Ahh, flap, Ahh, flop...ha ha hah ha ha" Neptune reeled.

"Please sis, don't piss her off" Nepgear pleaded.

"So he really isn't Rei Ryghts?" Noire asked.

"Nope, well he's probably fifty percent Rei, but..."

"Neptune, you aren't helping" Nepgear admonished "He sorta absorbed her power"

"Yeah, at that battle with Aldy something" Noire said.

"It's Alduin" I said, and sat up "Really? Again with the head hitting"

"You deserved it for doing that to my sister" the younger Black Haired girl spoke up.

"She did attack me first" I pointed out. And really looked at my surroundings. It felt like industrial themed, but still elegant. A girls' room no doubt.

"What were you doing in Lastation?" asked Noire.

"If you must know, Histoire got a call from IF (huh IF was in the room too) and pretty much told me the trouble in Lastation. So I took my apprentice and went to confront what indeed was a Dragon Priest"

"Dragon Priest? Apprentice? explain yourself" Noire ordered.

"You really think Alduin would be alone, in this world? Especially after what happened in Planeptune? The Dragon cult exists here too, and Mashtalk is proof of that" For whatever reason, I can smell Rei's perfume on me, and cringed. Distracting and sadly for the wrong reasons. My man card...

"Mashtalk was that man that was on the ground?" Uni, for she was Uni, asked.

"Yes he was, Nepgear and I beat him"

"He did most of the work" Nepgear said.

I got serious. "You have him right? He's locked up?"

"Yes he's in a cell, magically enhanced" Noire huffed.

"I'm surprised you didn't put me in one"

"Well Uni didn't want to and..." She faced away "It's not like I care or anything, Hmm"

"Where is that cell?" I said.

"It's here in the Bascilicom" IF finally spoke up "But that's not enough, is it?"

Right on cue, there was an explosion and the place shook.

"Nope he's loose. Please take me to him"

"This way" IF said.

"Hey wait!" Noire chided "It's my bascilicom!"

"No time" I said and raced with IF through the halls.

"By the way" I asked her "How long was I out?"

"The rest of yesterday" IF replied. Four days here now...

Neptune, Noire and their sisters were behind us now, as we raced to Mashtalk and our next confrontation.

"This is the dungeon hallway" IF huffed as she ran "He's probably up ahead"

"Why did he stay?" I asked and ran ahead of the group. That proved to be a mistake. As soon as I entered the main chamber, flames went up at the entrance, separating me from the group. And in the room with me was Mashtalk. The others caught up, but could do nothing but watch now, and it was my fault.

"Glad you could come, slave" he said, as he smoothed his robes.

"Where do you get the inclination that I'm your slave?" I asked "The dragons called me a Challenger"

"And so you are" he glanced behind me "Your offering is better than before, _Challenger._ I am appreciative"

"Shut it fool" I said "My mistake was letting you live, when the same could not be said for Livinerveh. Now tell me where is Alduin?"

"Quite an abrupt change in subject" the priest sneered "Hoping I would indulge you huh?"

"I will kill him for this" I indicated myself "And for other wrongs he's committed"

"Wrongs? You call them wrongs. How can a god do wrong?"

"Alduin is not a god! He's a dragon that has overstayed his life, but feeding on the souls of his subjects!"

"Wrong! Alduin is the Immortal son of Akatosh the greatest of the Aedra"

"Exactly" I said "The Aedra are not gods either. Just because your immortal, doesn't make you divine!"

"And the CPU's aren't Goddesses?" the priest sneered, and gestured to the four girls behind me. I looked at them, and back to the priest.

"Nope. Immortality does not bring divinity, rather the other way around. And there is only one God" I yelled for all to hear "NOW TELL ME, WHERE IS ALDUIN?"

"Ha ha ha ha" Mashtalk laughed, and took a mask out of his robes. He put it on, and levitated like a Priest of the Dragon cult.

"Finally you show your true colors" I said and activated HDD.

Mashtalk brandished two daggers, probably because he didn't have his staff. This will make fighting him harder, I thought.

"This mask has a very powerful warding spell, a gift of the Dragons" He boasted for all to hear "With it, your energy attacks is useless. My Priest Daggers can slip though your staff as well, and can only be repelled by a blade. Another words, you are finished" He hovered into position, and waited.

And all I did in response was laugh.


	14. Chapter 14

"Ha ha ha ha" I spread my arms wide, here we go "Oh what am I to do, you won oh Priest"

"Are you mocking me? Baiting me to attack?" Mashtalk was agitated.

"What do you think?" Her voice was creeping up again "You assume that I will attack you using only those methods" And I 'shouted' fire.

"Ahhhgh" he screamed as my fire seared him. And he wasted no time in attacking. In HDD my speed is perfect, I could dodge just about everything he had to throw at me, which I did. I 'shouted' fire again and he screamed again. Then, with a wave of his hand, a Frost Atronach appeared out of nowhere. It hit me and I landed on the flame wall...and slid down. There was no escape. I spared a glance at the wide eyed girls watching the fight. I got up, and wiped my forehead. I laughed and it was mostly feminine.

"Attack the challenger! Bring me his head!" And the Atronach screamed! A shrill cold sound. It charged me, and this time I summoned my staff. I struck it on the side of the head and it breathed ice on me. Malice... It punched me back, as Mashtalk hurled fireballs at me. One struck me, and I screamed...and it was Rei's scream. That only made me more angry. I 'shouted' Unrelenting Force, and the priest fell, as the Atronach threw another punch and I ended up on my back. I got up and screamed as the Atronach grabbed my neck...again Rei's. It was choking me.

"You'll pay for that" Mashtalk got up and I hit the Atronach with lightning. I fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

"You're dead!" I said and it was more Rei's voice than my own.

The Atronach screamed and I was thrown to the fire wall again. A wall of Ice came upon me, and it was all I could do to dodge it. Mashtalk threw fireballs at me and I dodged all but one of them. I screamed as the fire it me and again it was Rei's. Tears were in my eyes as I dropped to my knees.

"Where is h-he?" I cried "Where is the World Eater!" My vision was blurred because of my tears and then something within snapped.

The power within swelled, Rei's power and emotion, and I gasped. I laughed like a maniac. But it wasn't me.

"It's good to be me again!" Rei exclamed. "Ha ha ha ha"

She stopped and took a look at her body, it was male. It was his. But that didn't matter.

"So you are the one called Mashtalk" she hovered forward. "Begone wretch!" she pointed to the Atronach "I will not deal with you" and it disappeared.

"What are you" Mashtalk hovered back, suddenly scared again. Like over there.

"I am the CPU of the nation of Tauri, Rei Ryghts!" she exclamed, and it was only her voice within.

"Why do you feel so different?" He was at the other wall now, defensively.

"My power is different, because I wish it" And suddenly Purple Heart and Black Heart was standing beside her, her clones "My power is different, because I came before. My power is different, because it's better. My power is different because of him" And she indicated herself, but it was his body. With a flick of her wrist, Purple Heart clone had her sword in Mashtalk's stomach, and with a snap of her finger, Black Heart clone had her claymore in Mashtalk's chest.

"Tell me where Alduin is, and you won't suffer anymore!" she laughed and her face was insanity.

"I-I won't" he gasped

"Deeper" she said and he screamed and screamed.

"Where is the World Eater!" She was angry now, her power swelling still.

"Never" he spat.

"You will tell me! I need to know-he will pay for what he has done!"

Mashtalk gurgled, blood coming out of his mouth. And he 'shouted'. Rei and her clones found themselves on the ground. Mashtalk took Purple Heart's clone's sword out and threw it. He grasped the claymore and did the same. They both disappeared.

"Suffer?" Mashtalk gestured to the draugr coming out of the side chambers (those were cells).

"NOOOO!" Noire exclamed.

"Yes!" Mashtalk cast his Priest spell again and hovered in the air "Behold my slaves, your former guards"

His wounds were healing and some of the Draugr suddenly looked more rotten, more decomposed.

"I am immortal, thanks to Alduin. Thanks to the masters I serve. Noire, Lady of Lastation no more, for I will rule until Alduin wishes otherwise. Ha ha ha ha ha" He laughed and re-summoned his Atronach. Some of the Draugr with him also summoned Frost Atronachs.

"Stay out of sight and send your Atronachs to battle" he commanded his forces "We shall see how much Rei Ryghts of Tauri lasts against Alduin the World Eater and his Priest Mashtalk!"

The Draugr retreated and flame walls were thrown up.

"Let's test the power of your shells versus the might of Oblivion and the power of the Dragons!" Mashtalk then spoke the dragon language (for we conversed in English up to that point) and composed a spell that steeled the walls from collapse and the ground from breaking. The message was sent, there will be no escape.

"Ah ha ha ha ha. You still think you can escape me Priest" Rei Ryghts charged into battle against the horde of Atronachs. With her two clones right behind her, and the Priest Mashtalk before her, Rei fought like none have seen before. Atronachs screamed left and right, Ice was thrown left and right, and she dodged them all. Swipe, clash, Ting, Bash. Anger and hatred for her foes strengthened her resolve. And more than a few Atronach were destroyed by her and her clones, yet the Draugr summoned more from their cells, where they could not be touched. Mashtalk sent fireballs which were deflected by the shield she casted when needed.

Deep down I saw this, deep down I knew the truth of the situation. Mashtalk isn't stupid, and he set this up deliberately. Eventually Rei and I will become exausted. He can replenish everything using his Draugr, over and over, his life and his Atronachs. All he needs is patience which Rei's HDD personality doesn't allow for. She used up portions of her power for the clones, after all, and among other things her maniac way of achieving victory expends unnecessary energy. How long has it been now, since I contemplated this. She's-no I'm breathing heavily now, she can't hold on forever.

"No!-Nooo" She collapsed "I will end this"

"End what boy? Me, certainly not" Mashtalk pushed past his horde of Atronachs. She-no I untransformed.

"There's my challenger. You done hiding behind her skirt?" He picked me up by the hair, and sneered at me.

"And you were the one that killed Livinerveh. Pathetic" He threw me on the ground.

I saw them through the flames. The others, the CPUs and IF, fearful, and behind them...a small number of Lastation guards. If I could not prevail against him, then how do they have a chance. And then I saw it.

A chest? Like a storage chest-but it looks like a Nordic chest. From Skyrim. I remember all the times I would fight bosses, like Dragon Priests for instance. They had a word wall and a Boss Chest. Could it be? I shot up, and searched. It was crazy but I half expected a word wall somewhere. No cigar.

"Not completely dead yet?" Mashtalk asked, clearly trying to get my attention to gloat. I ignored him. I saw their faces as I ran towards them, wide eyed and puzzled.

"Hey, stop ignoring me" Mashtalk yelled and hovered towards me.

I got to the chest and opened it. And I'm crazy...time literally stood still. I took a quick glance and Mashtalk was mid-hover stride. I couldn't move, but neither could they. I turned back to the chests contents. Septims! 500 Septims, from the current Emperor of Tamriel. Titus Mede! I deposited those in my inventory, which I found a small number of credits as well (in my inventory). There was Iron boots, a scroll of conjuring Storm Atronach, and a staff of Storms. I put everything in my inventory except the boots and changed my non-HDD staff to this one. Maybe the HDD version will be different now!

The charge level was dependent on your magical level in Skyrim so maybe the charge will be-yes! The level was indeed huge, so much in fact that it couldn't be counted. I know that it's a finite charge, but maybe enough to kill Mashtalk. I just need to get past his mask's ability. But the thu'um fire worked against him, so maybe his mask is specific to my CPU power. It's worth a try. I closed the chest.

"What are you doing?" Mashtalk hovered closer as I summoned my new staff.

"You're only as immortal as your Draugr, Priest" I shouted, exhausted but elated that this might work.

"You don't understand, your death is nigh!"

"I don't think so" and I used my new staff.

"Ahhgh" he screamed as he was electrocuted. He moved, but I moved with him. Soon the fire walls disappeared, and the surrounding stopped glowing. Still he screamed, and still I countered his attempts to get away.

"Mercy" he pleaded.

"You would have given me none" I said. And I continued.

Finally he fell, dead at last. I 'shouted' to make sure and his body limply flew to the other side.

I fell on my knees, suddenly very weak and exhausted. But I didn't pass out. I won...


	15. Chapter 15

"Is it over?" Neptune asked. I looked at them coming over.

"What have I done?" Noire knelt before a Draugr and cupped her face "I knew her, she was a General of mine" There were tears in her eyes, as she looked around at the neatly placed bodies. Her guards worked tirelessly, and seemed proud to have a CPU crying over their fallen comrads with familiarity.

"Is it over?" Nepgear asked, mimicking her sister. I won, so why do I feel terrible. IF searched the body of the Dragon Priest and took one of the daggers.

"I'm keeping this one" She handed over the other to me "What do you want to do with the mask?"

"Give it here" I said, hand outstretched. Once I put the items in my inventory, I stood up. And collapsed just as fast.

"Is it over?" Uni asked timidly, unable to see her sister so out of character. I was helped up by Nepgear and leaned on her while I drew on my energy to stay up. Once I was stable, I walked over to Noire, with the others close behind.

"I barely even saw the victims at that complex we fought at" she looked up at me "I shouldn't have attacked you. This could have been avoided"

"You had no idea who my enemy is, or even what went on when Alduin came here to end me. You can't simply say you shouldn't have done anything, because that won't help you now. He was planning on using this nation to fuel his master's attacks against whom ever, to establish Dragon Cult control in Gameindustri" I pointed at the dead Priest.

"It's not over, is it?" She asked me. I have been avoiding that question for some time now.

"This chapter is over, and another begins. What happens now will be up to you, and the others. It won't be over until Alduin is stopped. Luckily for you we may have a way"

The girls all gasped, but it was Nepgear that spoke. "You said you could destroy Alduin. But you barely survived this" she pointed to the dead Priest "I am not so confident now, but If you have something-"

"Yes but first we must, or at least I must rest. I hate to ask charity, but Rei Ryghts wasn't exactly the most wealthy in the world..."

"You can stay in my Bascilicom today" Noire adverted her eyes "It's not like I care, but Alduin needs to go"

"Thanks Noire" I said.

We made our way back to Noire's personal quarters and found someone similar, or familiar.

"Umm, do I have a double?" everyone stopped and looked at me. I pointed to the person sitting at the desk.

"Oh that's Kei Jinguji, Kei this is Joshua Andrew" Noire introduces us. Kei shakes my hand.

"You look a little like me, but I'm sure that's because of your hair and getup" Kei answers my question.

"So are you related to Rei Ryghts?" I asked her.

"Goodness no, and I especially don't like the skulls" Kei points to my belt and wrists.

"I'm not that particular to them either but my other half thinks they're cute" Kei is puzzled at this and I can't blame...is Kei a girl or a boy?

"Kei is the Oracle of Lastation, or at least it's counterpart to Histoire" Noire explained.

"So, not a book?" They all looked at me with quizical expressions.

"Well Histoire is a book, and Croire is a book, and they at least loosely fit the job descriptions of Oracles so I thought Kei would be one too" Actually this is the first I've even thought of that traitorous book since yesterday morning, when she was tightly bound by rope. I actually hope she's okay.

"Well you can see she's not a book" Noire pointed out, rather meanly, and gave me enough info to save face. Kei is a girl!

"You can join us for lunch, if you want" Noire said. Kei smiled.

"I have work to do, but thanks for the offer Lady Noire" And like that she left.

Noire sighed "She always has work to do, she's even worse than me"

"It might be good that she doesn't hear what I'm about to tell you anyway" I said. Everyone looked at me.

"So any reason you didn't tell us, whatever this is, in Planeptune" IF asked.

"It was because my suspicions were just that, suspicions"

"And you found the answer?" Nepgear asked.

"Actually we found the answer Nepgear"

"Haa?" everyone said, surprised.

"Let's eat lunch first" I was hungry.

Lunch in Lastation was...unnatural. It was quiet, until Neptune started things up, and everyone ate fast. I ate so much, my stomach hurt. I was actually glad it was over.

"So, are you ready now?" Uni asked, excitedly but trying to hide it.

"I honestly don't know where to start" I said, and everyone gave me the stare.

I sighed "I know this is going to be weird, but I already beat Alduin once" I held up a hand to stop the exclamations "Alduin the World-Eater existed in Tamriel, most likely in another dimension. But in my world, that was a video game. I played as the Dragonborn, ironically a dragon slayer. That's why I chose that title over a CPU. Alduin is immortal, but I think that's the case because of Sovngarde"

"What's Sovngarde?" Nepgear asked.

"I'll get to that" I said, pointedly "Anyway, as the Dragonborn, I physically defeated him in Tamriel, but he went to regain strength in the Nordic graveyard. I had to follow him into Sovngarde, and beat him there to kill him out right"

"But that was a videogame!" Noire spouted "It could be different!"

"I don't think it is. Mashtalk was the Tamrielic version of a Dragon Priest. The only real difference I've seen is Alduin's ability to transform into a human-or humanoid to attack me with a sword"

"You mean in Planeptune-" Neptune started.

"Yes, and he stopped time, but for whatever reason, you all witnessed our fight"

"So how did we figure that out?" Nepgear asked.

"I got the call from Histoire, and met you on the way to Lastation" I said.

"Yes I remember" Nepgear thought about it.

"Many of the Draugr at that battle were Gamindustri citizens" I told them "Many but not all"

"I remember he summoned the Draugr, but I was swarmed with-" Nepgear looked shocked

"They weren't summons from Oblivion, because that's not how that works. So either a teleportation spell, which would mean some sort of inter-dimensional gate-"

"Like the one we have!" Neptune interrupted.

I nodded "Or a transportation spell, which would mean they have magic not present in Tamriel, that I know of..." I let that sink in.

"So gate, right?" Noire asked.

"It's the best we have so far. I would need to defeat him, after either destroying the gate, and hope his soul doesn't go to Sovngarde, or defeat him here and there"

"Which would mean finding the gate" IF said.

"Easier said than done, but better than the alternative" I replied.

"Alright, next question" Noire said "Apprentice?"

"Nepgear is my apprentice in the way of the voice" I said, and I quickly explained what that was.

"That sounds cool" Uni said.

"So the 'shouts' I heard?" Noire asked.

"My thu'um, specifically fire breath, and unrelenting force" I replied.

"If it takes a normal human years-"

"You're not normal" I told Noire.

"Can you teach me too?" Uni asked fast-like.

"Absolutely not!" Noire yelled at her "He already has an apprentice, and I hardly trust him. No boys , I told you that!"

"But Nepgear is learning!" Uni protested "She'll protect me, and Neptune let her go"

"And Neptune is an idiot" Noire hotly replied.

"Hey! My lovliness is not an Idiot" Neptune replied idiotically.

Roar! 'SHOUT' The ground shook.

"Ahh!" what's going on.

"He must have realized his Priest is dead!" I yelled.

"CHALLENGER!" the Dragon 'shouted' in Dov "YOU DARE TO ANGER ME! LASTATION WILL BE DESTROYED BECAUSE OF YOUR DEFIANCE"

I blasted a hole in the wall. Noire yelled at me, but I ignored her. The Dragon was still a great distance away. Powerful.

"AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DESTROYED IT OTHERWISE DRAGON!" I 'shouted' "I KNOW YOU BETTER THAN THAT, EVEN IF I DON'T KNOW YOUR NAME"

"I'LL NEVER GRANT YOU THAT KINDNESS. I'LL FEAST ON YOUR BROKEN BODY, AND THE BODIES OF THE CPU'S THAT ASSIST YOU. I'M NOT STUPID AS TO NOT REALIZE THEY HAVE BECOME A NUISANCE!" he was closer now.

"What did he say" Nepgear asked "What do we do!"

"I think it's time you killed your first dragon" I said and made the hole bigger

"Hey!" Noire yelled. And (One they fear) that music was playing again. I welcomed it.

We transformed, and flew out to meet the dragon.

I used unrelenting force on him, pushing him back slightly, before using my new staff (It had no charge level, which means it uses my power to fuel its abilities) and shooting lightning at him. He 'shouted' fire and dove for Purple Sister.

"Multiple Beam Laucher" she shot, and the dragon roared. I sent a beam of energy at him, and he switched to Purple Heart.

"32 bit mega blade!" she yelled and attacked. He roared, and bashed her with his tail. Black Heart charged him with her Claymore, as Black Sister and Purple Sister shot volleys at him. I used my staff, and 'shouted' with fire at the same time.

He roared, and flew higher, before he 'shouted'. The sky turned red, and swirled in the center, and fireballs rained in the City. This was no blizzard.

"NOOO!" I shrieked, and her voice was mixed with mine.

"YOU CANNOT HOPE TO BEST ME!" he 'shouted' and dove for Purple Heart. She was prepared, but only slightly, as she narrowly avoided a falling building. I used 'unrelenting force' to push him away, before sending volleys of energy from my palm. The city was already burning, and in ruins, like he said he would do...this Dragon will die.

Purple Heart was thrown into the pavement far below, and this time she didn't get up. Black Heart yelled and dived with her claymore in the air. Fire shot out and the dragon roared. Then she was hit with a fireball, and screamed in agony. The Dragon punched her with his foreleg and she landed in a building. I zoomed to meet him, and 'shouted' fire, before taking off. He followed.

"THIS IS OVER CHALLENGER! GIVE UP AND DIE" he taunted. I turned at the last second and shot him with electricity from my staff. He roared. I used unrelenting force, and this time I pushed him to the ground. Purple and Black Sisters both were firing volleys into him from the sky, as I descended.

"GIVE UP AND DIE" I repeated in the Dragon tongue, but again she was mixed in "Not before Alduin, surely you jest"

And he roared. And I laughed, the trademark maniacal laughter that was Rei Ryghts. And that music was still playing, damn it.


	16. Chapter 16

The dragon wasted no time. He 'shouted' and I dodged his fire breath. Purple Sister and Black Sisters' volleys did nothing but keep him on the ground. And that was enough for me. I 'shouted' Ice breath (for the first time), the ground became icy, and the volleys made him slide. He roared in annoyance. All part of the plan forming in my head. I hovered above the ground, because HDD allows that and waited for the opportune moment. He 'shouted' to melt the Ice and and brought it back, while simultaneously using my staff to electrocute him, and keep him busy. Black Heart recovered and-

"Volcano Dive!" and hit him into a building, not part of the plan. He used 'unrelenting force' on her and sent her to the other side. She was lodged in a collapsed building, and did not re-appear.

"NOO!" Black Sister broke ranks and started to berserk attack the dragon. He launched himself into the sky and when Black Sister tried to follow, a fireball from the sky hit her into yet another building.

I began to despair, this was the dragon who gave Mashtalk his power, how can we defeat him? Then Nepgear gave me hope.

"CLEAR THE SKIES" she 'shouted' and it resonated though the whole city, somehow amplified by Nepgear herself. At once, everything above Nepgear, including the fire on the buildings was clear. The sky was blue and it was like a line was drawn above a certain height, no fire, no more collapses. The city was still in ruins, but at least the fire was manageable. Even the dragon was in shock.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS, MOSTER!" she shouted, and even though it wasn't in Dov, there was no mistaking the power behind those words "I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO KILL, AND PILLAGE! I AM CPU CANDIDATE NEPGEAR, AND I WILL KILL YOU!" And she blasted herself in the air, lodging her sword gun into the Dragon's chest. "MULTIPLE BEAM LAUCHER!" And the Dragon roared as he was blasted almost in half. He landed on his back in the Bascilicom, or rather on top of it.

I sped up to Nepgear, and was surprised to see a rejuvenated Black Heart and Black Sister, a product of her 'clear the skies' shout. They got to her as I did, and I saw her face briefly. There were tears running down it.

"The training paid off, I see. You practiced that shout only three hours yesterday, and got it. Not as fast as a Dragonborn, or me, but damn fast enough" I was proud of her, but she wouldn't look at me.

"Not for this" she whispered, half sobbing, and gestured to the ruined city "Never for this. But that's what happened" And the dragon started burning like normal, and the essence of the Dragon, his soul went into her weapon...Weapon, as it did mine! I turned when it was over, and only the skeleton remained behind. Livinerveh completely disappeared, though? Hmm.

Nepgear was right, though. She finally 'shouted' but at such a cost. The deaths that Mashtalk and the Dragon he served had caused, the carnage, the destruction.

I looked at Black Heart, watched as she took in her city, the heart of her nation, in ruins. She's in shock, but when she comes out of that, I know she'll be mourning for awhile.

"No" she whispered, as she spotted someone in the ruins of her Bascilicom. Nepgear, (in HDD still), followed Black Heart and Black Sister and I followed her. And I saw her distress. Memories of the previous few hours course through me...Kei:

" _Oh that's_ _Kei Jinguji,_ _Kei this is Joshua Andrew" Noire introduces us. Kei shakes my hand._

" _You look a little like me, but I'm sure that's because of your hair and getup" Kei answers my question._

" _So are you related to Rei Ryghts?" I asked her._

" _Goodness no, and I especially don't like the skulls" Kei points to my belt and wrists._

" _You can join us for lunch, if you want" Noire said. Kei smiled._

" _I have work to do, but thanks for the offer Lady Noire"_

"No, not her...not her, please not her" Black Heart craddles Kei's glaze eyed head, knowing she's dead...

"No, no, no, no" Black Heart hugs her tight, and then the tears come "No, no, no"

I could look away, there is so much death in this city, and life, people that need help...

"No, no, no" over and over and over. I didn't look away.

"NOO n-no!" she shrieked and sobbed, clutching ever tighter. "Noooooo augh"

I couldn't take it.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED" I 'shouted' with all my might, enunciating every word in Dov "YOU BASTARD, SHOW YOURSELF" And for miles that shout was heard, like Nepgear's "YOU TIME WILL COME _WORLD EATER,_ AND I WILL BE THE ONE TO DO IT..." And I waited, as Black Heart cried in anguish, at her dead citizens, and her ruined city, and her taken loved ones.

"S-search for Purple Heart" Black Sister had tears as well, but she wanted to be with her sister "I'll stay with her"

So Nepgear and I searched for Neptune, around the place where she fell. She was unconscious, but breathing, which made Nepgear cry all the harder, fearing the worst before. I left them as well, and searched through the ruined city, helping the Lastation soldiers, policemen, firefighters when needed. A mock hospital was set up, with surviving medical personnel helping the wounded stay alive. Looking at Lastation, I was more reminded of my world than Planeptune, which looked more futuristic. Though this was an industrialized nation, it might have been beautiful, before the Dragon attack. This happened four days after we arrived, Alduin and I...no amount of Skyrim playing prepared me for this...

Looking at a broken mirror, I realized I was still in HDD mode. I looked at myself, blankly, with no thought about how much I looked like Rei, no anger this time about losing my gender, no all of it was directed solely at Alduin for this city, for its people, for Black Heart. My hair even grew a bit...

I closed my eyes, thinking about my destroyed hometown, about NYC, about Jacob, and my other brothers, and my sisters...not knowing if any of them lived. The policemen, the fleeing cityfolk, my Mother and Father... I must do something.

I opened up my CPU window, and searched through it. Inventory, clone feature (which Rei used against the CPUs and Mashtalk), Pong cannon (?) (which was greyed out), Tauri, Status window (which showed Rei Ryghts' actual CPU form, [breasts and all] and her CPU armor. All of that was overlayed greyly by my status as CPU, HDD active of course) and some other things I wasn't interested in. I clicked Tauri and a confirmation window poped up, just like a computer. I clicked yes (not knowing what would happen) and I screamed. Her voice was in my head, her HDD mad crazy voice (not the sweet stuttering Rei) and my power swelled out. The sky became dark and my hands went up on impulse. Dark power raced out, the same power I witnessed Rei use when she created her clones. Above Lastation's Bascilicom and spreading out as a circle, half as big as Lastation was a floating landmass. I somehow put that in the sky?!

The window popped up again, and this time it said 'OPERATION COMPLETE'. I pressed okay and looked at my CPU window. Pong Cannon wasn't greyed out anymore, and I knew what I did. Like Rei Ryghts clones, I somehow created a City I thought was destroyed. Tauri!

"This is going to scare some people" I said, and sighed. I suddenly felt exhausted, and slipped on my knees. The voice in my head finally made sense...

'Let me take over for a bit. They won't know its me...need to explain your...gift...'

I blacked out.

No Rei Ryghts this time. What did I do? I know I'm sleeping off my exhaustion, that I expended an enormous amount of energy to create a floating landmass...no I didn't create one. I used her Cloning ability, to clone the city of Tauri, not create it. But how, unless you take the concept of Console Patron Unit literally. In my world, Consoles are computers with specific designs to play specifically made software, such as games. Specific computers...A PC is a personal computer, and a gaming console in a gaming computer with souped up hardware. Lastation is actually easy to translate. Playstation, and Noire represents that Sony console from which Lastation comes from, and so on. Tauri is easy, Atari Game console, and Rei Ryghts personality actually reflects that... So a Console Patron Unit is...a very souped up individual with a specific purpose? Ah I got nothing, Jacob would be more suited to this stuff.

Wait I hear a voice...

"Thank you for this, Joshua" was that Noire?

"It'll be awhile before you smile again, but I want you to know that I won't leave you alone in this. Tauri and her Bascilicom is at your service, until Lastation is right as rain" Rei replied.

Rei, just what did you say to them, I don't act like that...

"Good night" Noire closed the door.

"Good night" Rei whispered. And she fell on the bed, and it was me again. I sat up, letting my head clear, and patted myself. Still a guy, then. I sighed, Alduin...I'm coming for you.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning was weird. Consider this, if you have no memory of something, but it feels familiar; like a deja vu with a side of crazy. Rei's flashes of memory of her Bascilicom mixed with me just seeing said place for the first time, border on the insane. The place itself had plenty of light, but being all black with gold trim, and with South American Native architecture, you couldn't tell, honestly. I liked the rooms with windows, for at least they remind me of an outside to this place. Lastation guards dot the places of interest in the Bascilicom, where surviving government staff set up for the long haul of running a nation with a ruined capital. I stopped a guard and asked him where Lady Noire and the others went, and his reply was very strange.

"Oh Lord Joshua, this way. Lady Noire asked us to be very respectful to Tauri's CPU, and to show him where to find any Lastation service available for his generosity. I will fulfill this obligation" very strange indeed.

When we reached her personal quarters, I was immediately hit with a realization that these quarters was where Rei Ryghts lived. Casting away the feelings of jealousy and anger, for they were not mine, I opened the door. Dismissing the guard and walking to where the others were, I was hit with flashes of memory, some embarrassing, and some funny and some sad.

"-Shuttles from Tauri are a bit outdated but we manage. The transfer of surviving government officials and agencies happened sometime in the night. We are currently relocating citizens to Tauri from the ruins, and have already established a hospital on site of the rather ancient hospital of Tauri. Our main concern is the fact that the city is less than half the size of Lastation, and an amazing eighty percent or more of the citizens survived the fires, and collapsed building that are all over the Ruins of Lastation. I suggest that some of the citizens relocate to towns and villages in the surrounding area, or even move temporarily to Planeptune or Lowee-"

"Planeptune is already helping us with its enormous donation of supplies and money, and I'm not going to return that with a push of Lastation citizens into their overcrowded city. And Lowee hasn't returned with any indication of helping us, so I am not going to Lady Blanc to push the issue" Noire said pointedly to whatever political person giving the report "Tauri reappearing is odd, to be sure, but I will not punch a gift horse in the mouth. We will use our nation to house our people Minister, is that clear?"

"But Tauri isn't-"

"Is that clear?!" Noire was on edge and her face looked terrible, but otherwise just Noire. I sighed.

Everyone looked up, and the minister paled.

"Yes Lady Noire"

"You're dismissed" she replied.

"You look worse for wear" I told her.

"My shares have plummeted greatly since yesterday, but are honestly on the rise again" she sighed "I really don't know where you're getting the share energy from, but I am happy you've helped us by 'summoning' was it?"

"I think it incorporates Rei's or my ability to create CPU clones, but with a more permanent outlook. I have to activate my window, and turn Tauri 'off' as it were, for it to disappear. But since it is a manifestation of my power, I won't be as strong as I used to be. And as for the 'share' energy, I have none" I waited for the predicted reactions and wasn't disappointed.

"No share energy?" Nepgear asked agast "How are you as strong as you are?"

"That I can't answer. Rei's memories within me indicated that she needed energy and she more than told me such"

"You can talk to her?" Uni was puzzled.

I sighed "I absorbed her or something to make up for Alduin tearing my soul. Don't ask me how, I don't know. All I know is the energy that is fueling my CPU powers is called Magicka. And I have a lot of it, though a big portion is being used for Tauri. The city is bound to me, but not by distance thankfully. If I leave this world, however, I would need an open gateway to Gameindustri, or else Tauri would just disappear. That is all I know on it"

"How much?" Noire asked

"What?"

"How much energy are you using to keep us up?" Noire asked.

"The total amount of my power is unknown, but according to my CPU window approximately-"

I open up my CPU window.

-forty percent, which includes the Pong cannon (?)"

"A whole forty percent of you is being used for this floating city-" Noire was interrupted by my exclamation.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Because of an internal feature of Tauri, I can turn on a generator to make it self sufficient, thus giving me back my power" I went through schematics to find the location "I would just need to keep the generator full of power, because once it empties, the city will disappear"

"What would you need to keep it up?" Nepgear asked. I looked up and realized Neptune and IF weren't present.

"Well, naturally share energy. But I don't know how much and Rei Ryghts never had to keep her city afloat. It was on the ground like Planeptune or Lastation" I went through more things in my CPU window "I would need to figure out what the conversion rate was, from Magicka to Share energy-"

"Or I could keep it afloat" Noire said. And everyone looked at her "What?"

"You just offered to keep my city afloat" I said quietly

"We-ell I'm doing it for m-my nation, yeah, I'm just doing it for my nation that's all" Noire responded.

"Okay, but the City will still be bound to me. That means if I die, I don't think any amount of share energy will keep it afloat"

"It's a risk I'll take" Noire said "Because if you die, Alduin wins, we can't beat him. Yesterday saw to that" Noire looked away suddenly and shook. The pain she's still going through.

"Anyway, I have it. The location and instructions. You have a computer?" Noire sent for an aide to fetch a brand new Vios Laptop, a gift to me.

Once I got it set up, I put the schematics for the city and the instructions on how to run some basic functions, the Pong cannon (which I still don't know what it is), and the central power plant, which was south of the Bascilicom, on the Laptop. Then I E-Mailed Noire what she needed.

"Thank you for everything you've done for Lastation" She said at last.

"Well I consider you a friend (Which was odd, because she wanted to kill me yesterday and I tortured her with unrelenting force, but water under the bridge), so anytime"

"Fri-iends?" she was flustered "Re-eally?"

"Lady Noire?" a Lastation officer interrupted suddenly "We have a situation that requires your immediate attention!"

Noire shook herself out of her reverie. "What is it, captain?"

"The Nordic complex! There is some unknown monsters that have infested it. Our detachment can't make heads or tails of it"

"We can handle it" I said, and Nepgear joined me.

"But its in my nation" Noire pleaded.

"You're in no position to fight right now, and you need to make the necessary adjustments to my city"

"But-"

"But nothing. Like I said, the original wasn't meant to float. I honestly don't know how its floating. That being said, it wasn't meant to disappear either, so I'm not sure even how the power plant will keep it from doing so. You have been a CPU longer than me, and I trust your judgment. A lot of people will be depending on you soon, and many will die if this thing falls" That shut her up.

"Fine" was all she said.

"I'm going too" Uni told Noire, and she just nodded.

We transformed and flew out the balcony of the Bascilicom. I took this moment to look at my city. It was black and dull, with gold molding in places. And it looked like an Aztec city, for whatever reason. Then we flew over the ruins of Lastation, and saw the carnage for what it was. I glanced at Purple and Black Sister and noticed their averted gazes. They were completely focused on the mission, probably so they didn't have to see the city. Soon, however, Lastation was left behind, as we made our way towards the mountain next to the border between Lastation and Planeptune.

I could already hear crazed screams and screeches. I never thought I'd hear them outside of the Great Library of Apocrypha.

"Stop!" I told the others.

"What is it?" Purple Sister asked.

"Those monsters aren't from here, nor are they Alduin's!"

"Where did they come from, then?"

"A Daedric Plane of Oblivion, Apocrypha. These monsters belong to Miraak!"

"Who's Miraak?" Purple Sister asked.

"A Dragon Priest of immense power, and one called Dragonborn! Our only saving grace is that-"

"Alduin wants him dead" Purple Sister said.

"He betrayed the Dragon Cult" Black Sister said.

"Yes on both accounts, but he is not our friend and is just as evil. It is possible he is stronger than even Alduin" I told them.

"How can someone even have that much power?" Purple Sister asked, aghast.

"It's because he was helped by a Daedric Prince. And don't even ask me how powerful they are. Think about what I did back in Lastation" I said.

"You 'summoned' a city" Black Sister said, puzzled.

"Yes, which took forty percent of my power. Now imagine a vast plane, or a pocket dimension if you will, of hundreds of square miles in size, maybe thousands. Imagine creating, or at least interacting with that space in such a way as to have been responsible for all of it looking and acting according to your design"

"No...that is impossible. That can't be" Purple Sister looked like she was struck in the face.

"That is how powerful they are. Don't even think about beating them, let alone killing them" I said, resolute.

"How can they not be gods...if our people...and we can't..." Black Sister looked weak.

"Simple, they can be killed. If Daedric Princes gain up on one, they can destroy them. They aren't gods because God never had a beginning or an ending. He is that. These things were made, and they have a shelf life, they can die. We just can't do it" I let that sink in.

"So we better hope one doesn't have an inclination to come here" Purple Heart said.

"They can't completely leave their realms. So they send out lesser Daedra, or their worshippers, or even portions of themselves, to interact with us or what they call Mundus-the Natural World. What you need to worry about is stumbling onto one of their realms. Then you are completely at their mercy" having said what I said I continued on to our destination, which was right before me.

And again it hit me...Hermaeus Mora.


	18. Chapter 18

The monsters screamed and shrieked when hit by Lastation fire. But for all their efforts, the blasted things wouldn't die. Seekers and Lurkers were there in larger numbers, and they were killing or knocking out the detachment. More death, for what?

I yelled, to get their attention, and it sounded like Rei's scream of anger. Music to my ears.

"Ha ha ha ha!" I laughed the maniac laughter and shot energy from my staff and hand. A few blasts and the Seekers would die, but the Lurkers were a little harder. Battle cries from Purple and Black Sisters' were briefly heard, before the Lurkers would die from their blasts. Two against one, is better than one against-tentacle! I fell, and a swarm of tentacles had covered me from head to toe. While being a CPU had it's perks, I would have to take a bath after this (sigh).

I pushed the attacking tentacles off me, and with a shriek (Rei's voice) I jumped into the fray, pulling a Lurker's head off its body, before moving to a Seeker, and blowing a hole in its face. After a few seconds of me brutally (and fast) killing the Daedra, everyone stopped helping, too surprised to help.

"You want to kill so much! You want to destroy! How about this!" I yelled and Rei's voice was mostly heard "Not so fun for you anymore, is it! Ah ha ha ha ha!" More were being summoned by masked people in robes...no it can't be, Cultists! Miraak has Cultists here?!

"Power, wonderful power" I shrieked and it was Rei, like I've lost my sanity...hell I watched a city get destroyed before my very eyes, maybe I was "Mine, its mine and no one else's! No one has to die anymore-my Power!" And I ripped off a Seeker's head, before racing to one of the fleeing Cultists.

"No! Stay away, Miraak help me" the Cultist shouted as I chased him though the hallways of the Dragon Temple.

"Miraak won't save you now!" I said and I caught him by the arm and ripped it off.

"Aghhhh Ahhgh" he yelled, clutching his stump. I hoisted him up by his robes.

"What does Miraak want here? What's he after?! Answer me, damnit" Rei shouted, and I agreed, but I wouldn't have torn his arm off...Daedra is different, okay?

"AGHHUAHHGHA" He screamed incoherently.

"Rei? Rei Ryghts?" Rei turned to see a non HDD Nepgear, with Uni behind her.

"Can you see I'm busy?" she said, as the Cultist continued screaming.

"What did you do to Joshua?" Nepgear asked, all trace of timidity gone.

"Joshua is right here" Rei gestured to herself, and I glanced to see my body...still a guy, for now "And I'm doing what he won't" and she threw the Cultist against the wall and clutched at his neck.

"Listen to me" and he listened "Make peace with yourself, and ignore the pain. You will die here, but the manner of is still up to you" at this he started going frantic.

Rei grabbed his stump, getting my hand soaked.

"Pain, or no pain?" she asked him, the maniac smile glistening on her face.

"Nnh no-no pain" he spouted. Rei nodded.

"Now tell me what Miraak was looking for, or what exactly you all were doing here, killing more people" and she gave his stump a quick squeeze.

"Ahhgh cuk, we-we w-were told t-to get I-information, on the Dragon Cu-ult" he swallowed, which was a feat considering Rei's-my hand was still on his neck.

"And..." Rei prompted.

"Take a-any in-fo on La-lastati-ion, an-and yo-you-wanted to kno-ow why Al-alduin was after y-you. And to-to kill an-anyone who was he-ere" he gasped

"That's it?" Rei was quiet. He nodded, or at least tried to. And she snapped his neck, and ripped off his head. Rei took the mask, and looked in his robes, glancing at a horrified Nepgear and Uni as she worked.

"You disapprove? After all that has happened?" Rei asked.

"Your HDD form is evil" Nepgear said, horrorstruck.

"My form is necessary! I would have killed you all. All of you CPU's. Then Alduin showed up, and he showed up" at this she clutched her hand-my hand "Just imagine if I killed you before-before all this. I wouldn't have him, wouldn't have fallen-" She snapped back to work.

"Yeah, he stopped you from winning and you're pissed right?" Nepgear stepped forward "Wouldn't have fallen from your high horse on how this world doesn't need CPU's, just you?"

"If I killed you I wouldn't know what it's like to love another, to hold someone dear. Alduin would have come and killed him, and there would have been nothing left" There were tears in her-my eyes now, falling freely. Rei Ryghts loved me? Loves me? "This form, and my HDD self is necessary, because he can't do it alone, you can't do it at all, actually" she pointed at Nepgear.

"He needs me to do what repulses him, because it is a necessary part of war, and make no mistake we are at war! The glorious war, the carnage, the power! HA ah ha ha ha. All those people dead, here and in the city, for this" And she took out the Cultist's wallet and a piece of paper "And Alduin. Whatever he wants to kill Joshua for, I'll do what it takes to stop him" She shoved the paper, soaked in blood, to Nepgear. "Read it".

And Nepgear opened up the paper, reading intently. She suddenly clutched it.

"Aloud, girl!" Rei snapped.

" _Your mission, authorized by_ _Lord Miraak, is to establish control of The Dragon Temple of Novu Bromjunaar, and eliminate Lastation Resistance. Alduin will make his move in the city soon enough, for the death of his priest. All information on the Challenger Joshua Andrew must be immediately acquired, at the exclusion of all else. Kill the Console Patron Unit named Uni, when your task is complete. She, if alive, will be found in the city of Lastation. Our Lord wishes the power of the 'Four Goddesses' only. Report on your success"_

"I assume the order didn't mention to retrieve information on Alduin, because they already know that is a priority" Rei stated, while looking through the Cultist's wallet.

"K-kill me?" Uni whispered.

"It's rather obvious that they had something better than Daedric trash up their sleeve for you" Rei said, wiping off an ID card "But they all have escaped, except him of course"

"They must have thought Noire would survive her city's destruction" Nepgear's voice was small "T-they knew that dragon would attack!"

"I would think it's also obvious that Alduin would retaliate, after we raided the Cult's temple in Lastation. I think it's fair to say that there is probably another Temple somewhere, where the Dragons can gather followers, from dissenters of your countries" Rei handed the card to Nepgear "And we know where at least one Cultist came from"

Nepgear looked at it, and wordlessly passed it to Uni.

"L-Lowee?!" she groaned.

I watched all this transpire, and was both appalled and touched by Rei's...devotion? I don't think that's the right word. At any rate, why would Miraak want anything on me? The logical assumption at this point would be because Alduin showed an uncommon interest in my death. Which I still don't know why, by the way. Killing Uni would only accomplish one thing. To break Noire of any resistance to Miraak. She has suffered so much, but the loss of her sister would destroy her. And Miraak has this mind control thing he got from Apocrypha, which I know from playing the Solstheim expansion of Skyrim. And as for the 'Four Goddesses' thing; Neptune, Noire, and I think Noire said something about Blanc. So then who's the fourth one?

"Joshua, is it you now?" Nepgear asked. And I blinked. How does she do that?

"Its me. I think we'll call a shuttle on this" I untransformed. Opening up my inventory, and depositing the mask, ID and orders, I noticed that there were things (not Rei's clothing) that I had from Rei. A small laptop for one, and some papers, knick knacks and probably all her possessions (she was homeless). I would have to go through it later.

"Did you hear the conversation?" I nodded, and Nepgear sighed.

"Well, w-what do you think we should do?" Uni asked.

"We'll go back to Tauri, and stop or look for the Cultists. Chances are that if they fled, they would try to do some part of their mission before going back in disgrace. Then I think we should go to Lowee, as its our only other lead"

"That's what I was thinking" Nepgear said "But-"

"Call the shuttle first. I think we should go back to the Bascilicom before discussing anything else. And, well, does someone have a way to wash this" I hung out my hands.

"Here Sir!" A Lastation soldier held out a canteen and hand towel (?).

"Thanks soldier!" I washed my hands quick, and patted him on the back.

Nepgear called the shuttle, and we waited outside the temple. The companionable silence that we shared gave me time to think about what to do, with Miraak, with Alduin, and with myself. But my thoughts still went back to Hermaeus Mora. I know he fits in all this, it wasn't coincidence that Miraak showed up. I also know that Miraak either plans to betray him, or already has, but even so. Alduin, and Miraak are one thing, and a Daedric Prince is another altogether. If I can barely survive a dragon, what hope do I have against Herma Mora.

" _You have me"_ Rei Ryghts said.


	19. Chapter 19

The shuttle ride was quiet and uneasy. Everyone had looked out the window at least once, to either look for Tauri, or look out for a Dragon. But it did allow me to think some more, especially about how Rei can talk to me outside of dreams. Right after I summoned my city, and just before the shuttle picked us up, she was able to speak. And then there are the times when it's completely her, and the times when we talk as one. It's like there is a wave of sorts and I sync it with her and she can take over or participate in some capacity. I wasn't sorry for the turn of events, indeed I would be dead otherwise (though I'm not too keen on growing breasts or having long hair, and I don't know if that'll happen or not), but its still a surprise and a tantalizing experience, to say the least.

" _You have me"_ Rei Ryghts had said. That's all I've got in this world...aside from my friends.

"We are approaching Tauri. Please have your harnesses tight and your attention to landing procedures" the pilot said. Since when did I have landing procedures? Once we landed, I started off to the Bascilicom. Nepgear and Uni caught up soon enough, but I never slowed. Glancing to the streets of Tauri, I noticed that the new citizens still looked timid about their surroundings. And that there were a lot of them. I guess I would be freaking out, if my city looked like an Aztec city, and I wasn't part Rei Ryghts.

The Bascilicom really did look like a temple that people used for sacrifice, although I know (thanks to Rei's memories) that human sacrifices never took place here. I walked up the massive stairs to the massive Bascilicom and sighed. Rei sure did have an ego.

The Guards were jumping over themselves to take us to Noire's quarters, where we would discuss many things. It would have been funny, if it wasn't so sad.

"-and there are people vying for spots where the previous owners died. Rebuilding also has been halted because many of the owners have revisions to their blueprints, and demand we make the revisions. All in all, it would be several years before Lastation is what it once was, longer because you ordered all work on your bascilicom halted until most of the city is finished"

"Thank you chief architect, you are dismissed. We'll discuss this later" Noire waved us in, and almost shoved him out.

"B-but Lady Noire!"

"No buts, move it!" and she shut the door, collapsing in front of it, to prevent it from opening.

"Umm, sis? You okay?" Uni asked.

She recovered quick "Of c-course I'm okay" Noire dragged a chair to the door, and sat down "We have things to talk about"

"Let's get right to the point then" I opened my inventory, and took out the blood stained orders, and the Cultist's Mask.

Noire's eyes widened "Not there too!"

"You were attacked by masked cultists?" I asked.

"My ruined bascilicom and some key sites down below. We were able to capture or kill a few, but I think they were unnerved by the floating chunk of rock above Lastation" Noire took the orders, and read it, ignoring the blood.

"k-kill Uni?" her face paled pure white and she clutched the paper so much that she tore it in half "They dare!" she shrieked, and transformed on the spot.

"I'll kill every last one of them! There won't be enough of them to bury" Black Heart said, and crumpled the note.

"Calm down" I said and grabbed her forearm. Big mistake. She punched me so hard I flew across the room and landed on the wall. Uni ran to her sister.

"Please calm yourself, I'm right here" Uni's shoulders were grabbed and Black Hea-Noire (un transformed) looked at her.

"You can't die" there was no stutter, no waver to her voice, but a clear and desperate plea "I've lost so much, you can't die"

"Noire, she won't go that easily" Nepgear crept closer to Noire, afraid she would set her off like I did.

Noire finally did calm down enough to talk to us about the recent developments. She never did say sorry about the punch, but I didn't care at that point.

"Vert is the fourth one" Noire answered my question "So this Miraak might be a bigger threat than Alduin?"

"That is my stance right now" I said.

"And you're sure this Mora thing can't come here?"

"A portion of him could, but his real self is stuck in his realm" I pondered what we discussed. Everything from Miraak's known history to our lead in Lowee.

"I'll notify Neptune that these bastards might be in Planeptune" Noire told me "And I think you should go to Lowee. If we can end this rising threat before it has a real chance, then we can focus on how to help you kill Alduin and end this war" she sighed "I don't want to do this, and I don't trust you" Oh but she does "But I need you to take Uni with you. Train her in your 'voice' thing like you did with Nepgear" I only gave Nepgear one 'shout', but I suppose I could teach them both.

"Y-you mean I can go?" Uni couldn't hide her excitement.

"Yes! And you won't give Joshua any trouble, clear?" Uni nodded.

"Watch her, Nepgear" Noire said, and put her head in her hands "And I'll work over here".

Despite the day being half over already, Noire insisted we go to Lowee immediately and even arranged transport while we ate lunch. I didn't get to see much of Lastation, apart from the City and the temple (and that hardly counts, being Skyrim tech), but I was glad to be going out all the same. The battles I fought in the two days I was there made it seem like years.

"I didn't know we would be riding a horse drawn carriage!" I said aghast, a few hours after we left the ruins of Lastation.

"I like Lowee's transportation" Nepgear said "and not all of it is old tech. Blanc just likes older things. Besides Rom and Ram love the horse carriages"

"And it's peaceful" Uni said "I like Lowee's countryside"

"But we'll be there by dark!" I told them "If not by tomorrow. I really wish we could just fly"

"You know why we can't" Nepgear chided "Besides, those Cultists might not even be in Lowee. Think of this as a vacation. You've only been in Gameindusri like five days, and you spent a great deal of that fighting"

I sighed. Noire told us that Blanc is real sensitive about people flying over Lowee, especially Rei Ryghts influenced individuals, and she knew like Noire did about me. Also there would be less of a chance that Cultists would know that we were going to Lowee, if we chose the slowest most conspicuous method of travel, which didn't really make sense, but who am I to argue? Nepgear and Uni spent the first hour telling me about Lowee and the twin CPUs that were their friends. Twins? I wish I was one...honestly the concept is cool. They then got to the topic of Blanc, which to my surprise, I was most interested in. I think they caught onto my interest, because they kept trying to change the subject until I gave up. I would meet her eventually.

"Joshua are you even listening?" Nepgear asked.

"Huh?" I shook myself. I was doing a lot of thinking.

"Figures"Uni said "You're thinking about Blanc, aren't you?"

"Not entirely" I said.

"You were!" she looked half distressed, half annoyed.

"I do have many things on my mind" I told them "Not the least that I'm seeing this all for the first time, and I have fought things more often than not"

"Right" Nepgear said "I forgot you're still new here. It must be hard"

"Do you miss your old world?" Uni asked. I thought about it.

"My old world didn't try to kill me all the time" I admitted, which made their shoulders slump a little "But it was more boring. Outside of Alduin wanting to kill me for-whatever reason, I am really glad to be here, honest" And that put them in a better mood, for which I was grateful for. I chanced a look outside, and audibly gasped. This place (outside of a few mushrooms, and even with those) looked a lot like Skyrim itself! I half expected to see a Dwemer ruin peaking out of a mountain, or Whiterun in the distance.

"What is it?" they both asked.

"This place is awesome! It reminds me so much of Skyrim! If I ever get to fight Alduin, I hope I can finish him off in Sovngarde, because at least I can see Tamriel for all of its glory" And upon their prodding, I talked a bit about Skyrim, and where I really came from. They were more interested in Skyrim, but asked just as much questions about the United States of America (where I'm from, sorry guys).

Unfortunately, the sunlight was getting weaker before long and I ignored the outside out of disappointment at this ride. I was tempted to just jump out and fly low, but I steeled myself. It wouldn't do to make Blanc mad at me before I even met her, and I did eventually promise Noire I would be good.

" _You know this might be boring for you" Noire told me as we made our way out of the ruins of Lastation._

" _A horse drawn carriage going ten miles an hour and only speeding up to twenty,_ _won't be boring" I said sarcastically "In fact I prefer it to flying into Lowee like a badass, and enjoying myself after two days of intense and heartbreaking battles"_

 _Noire sighed "Just keep Uni safe and promise me you won't do anything stupid, to make Blanc angry, because honestly, she's worse than me"_

" _I could torture her with 'Unrelenting Force' like I did with you" she shuddered._

" _Please don't! She might go to war with me because of that"_

" _I know she has anger issues"_

" _Promise me" Noire said._

" _I promise!" She took a breath_

" _Thanks"_


	20. Chapter 20

I'm getting real tired of this carriage. Seriously, they couldn't have provided anything faster? Nepgear and Uni sat side by side, their sleeping heads leaning on one another in a sisterly fashion. It was rather peaceful. And boring. Sure, I'm all for watching beautiful girls sleep (Not a creeper, I promise), and all, but I'm itching to do something! Like fly, or play a game, or even read a book! I love books. It's pitch dark outside, and this carriage is unbearably bumpy (which surprises me as to how they could fall asleep) and I'm not entirely sure the driver is even awake. I've thought and thought about Miraak, and Alduin, and my family, and Rei Ryghts, and even Neptune and friends (including Noire). Thinking and doing nothing accomplishes nothing... which is exactly what I'm doing. I sighed, and glanced out the window. In the distance I do see a city, which is cool and all, but honestly I'm not sure if its Lowee, or another small village, which looks bigger because of the dark. My thoughts glance back to earlier...

" _Maybe nothing will happen in Lowee" Nepgear said, absentmindedly-tired._

" _Then it would be like a vacation, and Rom and Ram could play with us" Uni said, and looked at me "But I don't know about you, you might scare them a little"_

" _Thanks for that" I said "I haven't already realized that from you two when you both knocked me out"_

 _Their eyes widened_

" _We said we were sorry" Nepgear looked guilty._

" _And you were blasting my sister with whatever that was" Uni also looked guilty._

 _Ring-Ring Ring-Ring Nepgear's phone went off before I could have said anything._

" _I-It's IF" Nepgear answered the phone and put it on speaker._

" _Nepg... its me. I ha.. somet... .. …. you" Major interference with the call "Don't g. .. Lowe. st.. ..ay" beep beep beep._

" _I thought they fixed the reception here?" Uni asked._

" _It's this blasted cart we're riding" I had said "We could try again later"_

If only I knew her phone number. It sounded important.

"Now approaching Lowee, ETA one hour" And I thought he was asleep. I geared myself for the arrival, silent anticipation ever present. Nepgear and Uni slept on and on.

One hour later, we were dropped off at the city gates, yes Lowee had medieval gates, just like Skyrim! (And Cyrodiil and Morrowind)

Nepgear yawned and stretched (and I averted my eyes, that was a bit erotic) and I slapped myself.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Trying to keep myself awake, that's all" I lied. And I looked inside the city, and forgot all about everything else. This was a dream! Planeptune was too futuristic, too Sci-Fi. Lastation was too much like New York City (except for the ruins, and even that's true to an extent). Tauri was ancient looking and honestly a foreboding place. But Lowee, Lowee was fantasy! Mushroom looking houses, or Skyrim looking houses, or; Roman, Victorian, Gothic..you name it. And it was snowing, a beautiful, pleasant snow. Not like New York's winters, cold, and demanding. I ran, wanting to take everything in. I was a kid again, all semblance of manhood forgotten. Nothing Jacob said about this place could hold a candle to it's brilliance, it's beauty, it's elegance.

Through the streets I went, oblivious to Nepgear's and Uni's cries. I took handfuls of snow as I ran, feeling the cold rush through my arms. Not the cold of dragons or of my own thu'um. Not Malice...peace.

"Wait-hah-wait up Joshua!" Nepgear huffed.

"This place is awesome! You never told me about this. It's like I'm in everyone of my favorite videogames ever! Ha ha ha ha" That laugh wasn't maniacal.

"I'm glad you l-like it huh huh" Uni caught up as well.

"LEAVE US ALONE YOU BIG MEANIE!" a girl said.

"SCARRY, PLEASE GO AWAY!"

"Ram! Rom!" Nepgear yelled. I turned to the girls cries and ran. Nepgear and Uni followed.

I got there and took only one second to gauge the situation before I punched the first guy. The others staggered a bit as they took in the interruption.

"Leave these girls alone" I said, and they attacked me. In seconds I had them knocked out or gone, but they felt familiar, almost giving up to easily...hiding themselves. Were they Cultists?

"Who-who are you?" The pink attired girl asked me defensively. Does she think I'm the bad guy?

"You-you're bad?" The blue attired girl asked, scared.

I went to them, to try to explain, but they transformed (HDD) and pointed their staffs at me.

"Oh No"

"Wait" Nepgear said

Too late. They shot me with Ice and I fell unconscious.

That makes three times, no four I suppose.

"They didn't mean it" Rei said.

"Oh hello Rei" I answered.

"Hi" her voice was small.

"Are you still shy? Rei?" I asked, knowing but still...okay I guess.

"I-I wanted to tell you before-"

"That you've fallen in love with me" I said.

She was silent.

"I'm happy, but..."

"We are one person, and it couldn't happen because of that" Rei finished.

"I don't want to cause you distress" I inputed.

"You won't. Just do me one thing"

"What's that?"

"I'm here Joshua, you have me, never forget that" Rei stated

"How could I. When I look in the mirror, I see you...even if its my face"

"Does-does that anger you?" She asked timidly

"No it doesn't. You know me better than that. Getting mad at you when Alduin's the one to blame-That's not me"

"Will this end?" she asked.

"It isn't just that you kept me alive. Even if I could get what was lost, I wouldn't. It wouldn't be fair to you, and it's possible that part was corrupted"

"But, will it?"

"No, I don't think so...not unless you want to"

"I still don't like CPU's, or at least I didn't" she sounded afraid.

"My influence changed that" I said.

"I don't want it to then. I-I like friends, I lov-like you"

"You're stuttering again, but I like it" I said.

And I woke up.

"We're sorry Miss Nepgear"

"No we're not-shut it Rom-We are not! He scared Rom, and approached us creepily. He deserved it" Ram pouted.

"He was trying to save you both from the thugs, Ram" Uni said.

"He almost made my Ron cry" Ram said "A little ice was all we gave him"

I bolted upright.

"Four times I was knocked out...and only one of those I really deserved. Are there anymore kid CPU's I should worry about? Because I swear, if Leanbox has a kid CPU, or what do you call yourselves?" I pointed at Uni and Nepgear.

"We are CPU candidates, and I'm not a kid" Uni said.

"Do you consider me one as well?" Nepgear asked.

"No I-you know what I mean" I sighed "Does Leanbox have a CPU candidate?"

"No" Nepgear said.

"Thank you" I sighed again.

I studied the twins. Rom apparently likes blue to the extreme, given that her outfit's just blue and white. Ram is more pinkish, to match the fire in her eyes. They were both kids.

"You never told me they would be kids" I said "Not that it's a bad thing, but..."

"But what?" Uni asked.

"You guys never age? Are they supposed to be kids forever?" I balked, forgetting that what we look like would be the same until we died.

"Hey, don't make me kick your butt again" Ram pointed at me.

"Yes" Nepgear replied "Well they look and act like kids, but they are really much older than that"

"I don't care how old they are! I'm just overly surprised" I shuddered. Having to be a kid forever would suck, like a never ending Peter Pan...

Rom stayed silent, half hiding behind Ram. Her eyes shone fear and trepidation.

"So which one did you deserve?" Uni asked.

"Huh?" I replied with a question, and then I got it "Oh, uh yours. I did go crazy beating up your sister"

"You mean he beat up Noire?" Ram went from angry to puzzled to happy "He beat up stuck up Noire. Ha ha, maybe he isn't so bad after all. So what did he do? What did he do huh?"

"He gave her the one two" Rom exclaimed.

"Uh...Did I miss something?" I asked "Do they hate Noire?"

"No" Nepgear replied "She just doesn't let Uni play as much as Ram wants her to"

"He 'shouted' her into submission" Uni said, hiding her face briefly

"Shouted!?" Ram said and forgot to be mad at me "Like this!: Surrender Oh black one I command you!"

"No not like that exactly" Nepgear tentatively smiled "But close enough I guess"

"That's cool" Ram shouted "Your cool after all Mister bad guy!" I face palmed.

"So cool mister" Rom said brightly.

And like that they 'accepted' me. I'm still not sure how, but be it far from me to upset little kids.

So that brought me up to speed, well sort of. I have no idea where we are, but the place looks antique like. It reminds me of the palace of Versailles, although I have never been there.

"Where are we" I asked Nepgear, as I got up to stretch.

"This is Lowee's Castle, where Lady Blanc lives" she said, smoothing her dress to a coverable position "Which, well I didn't mention this to you before, but we have a problem"

"And what would that be" I didn't notice this before, but Nepgear is in her underpants, she literally doesn't wear a dress, just that sailor top thing that the Japanese like (don't ask me how I know that, and no I'm not staring at her bottom).

Nepgear pulls out her phone and shows me the video:

" _Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he...And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, That world shall cease to be. Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he...And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, That world shall cease to be"_ chanting from the people, as they construct a statue of Miraak, with a decapitated Dragon's head in his hand. They are building a shrine! I have never seen this part of the City, so I would never have noticed it.

"At least we know that our lead was spot on. So they are taking over Lowee, these Cultists. Just likeSolstheim-Agh ha aaggh" I covered my head in my hands. Next to me Nepgear does the same. I heard collapses in the room as well, so Uni, Rom, and Ram are also affected.

" _Far from ourselves-_ _..._ _,_ I grow ever near to you. Your eyes once were blinded, now through me do you see. Your hands once were idle, now through them do I speak. And when the world shall listen, and when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, Gameindustri shall cease to be. I know you know who I am _Challenger._ I shall get rid of the suspense. This world now belongs to me, for Alduin is not here. I have sent him away, and I will see to it that he goes away again. Starting with _Lowee_ , I shall take this world from its _goddesses_ , and they will see the light. Leave or die in what manner you see fit, else I will end you" I immediately felt the pressure lift.

"You alright Nepgear?" I hoisted her up by her arm and let her lean on me "Walk it off"

"He wants to own Gameindustri" she was distraught "How is he contolling them"

"I don't know. Where is Blanc?" I dropped her slowly on the couch and went over to check on the other three. Uni was shaking her head, still sprawled on the ground, but the twins were unconscious.

"Nepgear, where is the Lady of Lowee?" I repeated.

"That is our other problem" she replied.


	21. Chapter 21

"Please follow me, and don't touch anything please" Financier looked worried, but collected at the same time. I didn't know that was possible. Miss Chamberlain (Financier, for short) was leading us to see the Lady of White Serenity, aka White Heart (Blanc), where we could see the problem for ourselves. She would not elaborate. I followed Financier, and Nepgear and the other Candidates followed me. Rom and Ram especially wanted their Blanc to be back to normal, whatever that was.

We entered Blanc's quarters, which was slightly past the library...a Library! At first look, there was a woman in a red dress with a graduate student's hat.

"This is the Oracle of Lowee, Mina Nishizawa" Financier points at the red dressed girl and slightly bows.

"Mina!" Rom and Ram run to her and hug her.

"Is Blanny going to be all right?" Ram asked, alarmed. Mina never looked at us, only them and the other woman on the bed. I turned my gaze to her, and it was like there was no one else on the planet. My stomach clenched and I looked at her longingly...what the hell! I know this isn't Rei Ryghts' feelings, but my own. Blanc is the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on. But my longing wasn't sexual, it was something else altogether. I couldn't explain it then, and I can't explain it now, but I wanted to spend my whole life with this woman. Her hair was light brown, her eyes a good shade of blue, her dress a white dress with dark brown lining, a perfect contrast to her hair. This was White Heart. But something was wrong. Her eyes were blankly scanning the pages of the book she was reading...book she was reading. No.

"Not that, anything but that" I raced to the bed, jumping on top and tackling Blanc to the bed. Alarms were sounded around the room, and people started moving. I wasted no time.

"BACK!" I shouted, casting a shield "Stay back and do not look at the book" I then started wrestling Blanc.

"Stop" she said weakly as she kept an Iron grip on the book. She shoved me on the bed and got on top, all the while reading blankly. I shoved her off, and got on top of her, trying to take the book away.

"Joshua, get off her!" Nepgear shouted.

"You pervert" Financier shouted "Off the lady of Lowee!"

"No no no no" I said over and over.

Blanc almost kicked me off the bed, where Uni proceeded to grab and pull me off.

"No!" I shouted and pushed her to the wall with my power.

"No! Stop, its mine" Blanc said weakly, but her grip was stronger none the less. In the fighting I tore her dress, but she didn't care. I got mad quick, and power swelled within me. But I didn't transform.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" I screamed in the air "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM HER! MONSTER, REVEAL YOURSELF NOW" Rei's voice was in perfect sync, and electricity crackled all around my shield.

"HERMAEUS MORA! SHOW YOURSELF!" I shrieked "LET HER GO!"

And the room went darker, like the light dimmed. Everyone stopped trying to talk to me, and readied themselves. Blanc went rigid, and dropped the book. Her arms went to her sides briefly, as a tentacle slid around her waist. And her dazed look was disappearing.

"Ha...ha...ha.." A mass of tentacles showed up, and started wrapping themselves around Blanc.

"What, what's happening?" Blanc said panicking as she got out of her daze "Hey g-get off me you thing! What the hell! I said get the freak off. Ahhgh umph" A tentacle slid in her mouth, cutting off speech.

"Hmmph! hammph hammpha!" she made noises, and bit down. That was a mistake, as her movements were slowing suddenly, like she was drinking anesthetics. He's drugging her!

"I...am...Hermaeus...Mora" the mass said, as it wrapped more tightly around Blanc "I...have...waited...a...long..time...for...this...moment. Joshua...Andrew..." And two tentacles straightened around Blanc's head, before penetrating her ears.

"Knowledge...from...this...woman...is...what...I...seek. I...cannot...kill...her...like...other...mortals. She...will...need...to...come...with...me, but...do...not...worry. I...will...not...kill...her"

"Then let her go freak! Why are you even here? What's the Oghma Infinium doing here? Why did you give it to her?" I had to move fast, had to stall him, because if he takes her into Apocrypha...I can't even go there.

"I...did...not...give...it...to...her, Miraak...did. I...seek...an...Elder...Scroll, a...very...specific...one. One...your...brother...seeks...himself"

Jacob! Jacob's looking for an Elder Scroll-he's alive! At least I think it's Jacob, it could be one of my other brothers-I've got no time to think about that now. Shaking my elation of knowing at least one of my family still lives, I summon my staff and point it at him.

"You'll find no such thing here, now drop White Heart, or I swear, I'll find a way to kill you!" Which is next to impossible, but hey, I've already done that.

"Kill...me? I...think...not. This...place...intrigues...me...to...be...sure, but...I...think...its...time...we...leave. This...morsel...will...provide...me...with...knowledge...of...this...world...and...of...the...Elder...Scroll. If...it...is...here...I...will...find...it. Kill...Miraak...for...me...and...maybe...I'll...release...her...to...you. Give...me...that...Scroll...and...I'll...reward...you...greatly" And with that Hermaeus Mora started to disappear. Blanc was dazed by the trauma she was being put through, but her eyes found mine and I understood.

 _Keep my sisters safe, please!_

"No!" I yelled, as the Lady of White Serenity disappeared to Apocrypha, against her will...against her will...

The room was silent, and I broke it...I lost it...

"No!" I sobbed "No! Come back, you bastard. Bring her back! She doesn't deserve this" I cried, as the room was silent, as everyone else stayed in shock...Blanc, why do I care so much! I don't even know you, but it's like you were my...my...

 _I looked up, and suddenly I was in another place. I went to the window, and looked out. This was Lowee after all. I looked around, I was in some kind of dining hall. This must be in the castle still, but it's daylight. Last I checked it was night, right? The night of the sixth day of my stay in Gameindustri. I looked at myself, I was adorned in the finest clothes ever. These were local clothes though. The door opened, and it was Financier, followed by Nepgear._

" _I'm back Joshua! It was an adventure I tell you, but my husband insisted that we come back. I needed to regain my shares, you see. I told him the Force was enough, but he says I'm still learning. I tell you, being a Jedi is tough. Huh, what's wrong?!" Nepgear looked at me._

 _What's wrong?! I was just in a room crying my eyes out. And Nepear just put husband and Jedi in the same conversation._

" _Nothing. Just tired, that's all" I replied. Wait Jedi? They exist, Star Wars is real? And my 'apprentice' is married? When did Neptune allow that, and who is her husband._

" _I think I'm going to sit down" I grabbed a chair, and almost collapsed in it._

" _Should I get Blanc? Maybe we should call the dinner off" Dinner? It's still daylight. Blanc...I need to save you. I looked up._

" _Blanc's here?"_

 _Nepgear looked worried "You look sick! I'm getting Blanc" And with that she dashed out of sight. What's going on?_

" _I just heard from Gear. You alright Joshua?" That voice._

" _Jacob?" I looked up, and there was my brother, adorned in Jedi garb, and with an Assassins Creed Logo on his belt buckle. What the hell kind of crazy nightmare is this?_

" _Jacob" I was dazed, almost hyperventilating._

 _He ran over, and caught me before I fell down._

" _What did you do this time? Huh" he propped me up on the chair and sat down next to me._

" _You...can't be real" I stated, weakly_

" _Gear was right, you are sick with something, aren't you. My wife could always tell when I was, or when our little girl was, a gift I think. She's anxious to see her Uncle, so could you bear with it awhile longer?" I nodded. My brother was Nepgear's husband...what?_

" _Good man" he breathed, and smiled._

" _Aurora No running in the house. Hey, come back here!" Blanc's voice..._

" _Daddy" a little girl laughed as she ran towards us, her hair was a light brown color, like mine...NO!_

 _She jumped up and gave me the biggest hug, and immediately I felt better...what?_

" _Aurora! Your father is sick! Didn't I tell you that" Blanc came over to try to take Aurora away...my daughter?!_

 _She clutched my clothes tightly as people filed in, ready for dinner, or a meeting, or...whatever..._

 _I looked up, and took them all in. There were some that I knew, and some that I didn't, but I could tell they were all friends..._

" _You have to save mom" Aurora whispered "You have to save her, or we disappear. I disappear" I hugged her tightly then, trying to keep her there._

" _You have to save your wife Joshua" Jacob looked blankly as he spoke that "You have to save Blanc" My wife...she-you were my wife, Blanc?!_

" _The great library, you always called it that..." she looked scared as the people started a formation. Jacob went to join them. She hugged me tight, but it was like an invisible force was grabbing her. And they started the chanting:_

" _Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he...Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he..._ _Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he..."_

 _I looked up, horrified. Rei Ryghts was suddenly wrenched out of me, and she went to join the formation:_

" _Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he..." she chanted with them._

" _Daddy! Stop them! Make them stop! I'm scared" and that force got stronger, to the point where I was in a tug of war match, trying to hold on to my daughter, tears falling down my face._

" _Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he..._ _Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he..." Aurora's eyes were glazing over, like she was becoming apart of them._

" _No..."she said weakly, and jumped down of her own free will. She was no longer a little girl, she grew before my eyes, into a striking, brilliant woman. Aurora stared at me, and smiled blankly before adding:_

" _And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, That world shall cease to be...And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, Gameindustri shall cease to be"_

" _No! No, stop, please stop!" I lost my composure, then and collapsed._

I was crying, but suddenly I was back in Blanc's bed, and the Oghma Infinium was in my hand.

"Joshua, are you still there?" Nepgear asked. I looked up, and around. Uni was rubbing her head, looking at me with a mixture of pity and accusation. Rom and Ram were in each others arms, crying softly, hiccups and sobs could be heard here and there. Mina had her arms wrapped over them both, and was looking at me with a mixture of pleading and revulsion. Financier looked dumbstruck-she was still in shock.

"Joshua, are you alright?" Nepgear looked at me, she was by Uni, her sword still out.

"Why?" I cried "Why are you all doing this?" Nepgear, Uni, and Mina looked puzzled.

"What have I done? Why do the dragons call me Challenger? Why?!" Blanc...

I ended the shield and ran for the door. I was punched in the stomach, and Uni took me by the arm. I dropped the book.

"You have a lot of explaining to do" she said, as Nepgear picked up the Oghma Infinium.

"No don't" I said, before Nepgear could open it. I wrenched myself out of Uni's grasp, and grabbed the book. I quickly opened my inventory and put it in there before they could stop me.

"That book will ensnare the wrong people, I don't want you to read it"

"You read it" Nepgear accused "Blanc is gone, Joshua. Lowee is without a leader, a massive tentacle monster appeared and half the city is mind controlled. As soon as you saw Blanc, you attacked her, Why?"

"She was ensnared by the book, that is what it does. It is a very powerful Daedric Artifact, that is often used as a recruiting tool for Hermaeus Mora. The Oghma Infinium contains a vast amount of knowledge and is created with with self casting spells, designed to test the reader. Anyone who Herma Mora wants and anyone unworthy gets stuck reading the book until he comes to take them or talk to them, and the unworthy waste away" I explained "I tried to get the book away, because if I did, I could have prevented Herma Mora's kidnapping"

"He's that Daedric Prince you were talking about in Lastation" Uni gasped.

"What did you see?" Nepgear asked, determined.

"I don't want to talk about it"

"You owe us" Uni said

"What did you see?" Nepgear asked again.

"The future" I replied, tearing up again "I saw the future"


	22. Chapter 22-Andrew's Legacy Prologue

So this is the Great Library. Aurora said I called it that, and so I suppose that is what I'll call it.

"What are we looking for?" Mina asked, trailed by the twins, still crying about Blanc.

"Miraak betrayed Hermaeus Mora, just like he did in Solstheim. It just took him awhile longer to do so" I ignored Mina as I looked for a specific book.

"Then where does Herma Mora fit in this?" Nepgear asked, rummaging through Blanc's piles of books.

"Revenge mostly" I replied, scanning the shelves at speeds I couldn't manage before (and I was a fast reader) "And practicality. With White Heart out of the picture, Miraak will be looking for another outlet, possibly the twins, to use for his evil purposes. I do not yet know why he only needs four of us, or even the reason why, but incapacitating Blanc allowed for a portion of the City to immediately be taken. Hermaeus Mora probably isn't interested in ruling any portion of Mundus, and my understanding is that he wanted Miraak to stay in Apocrypha, as his champion or whatever"

"Please, what are we searching for?" Mina asked again.

"A black, evil looking book" I said, skimming through shelves. Aurora said it would be here, or at least where to look.

"Miraak defeated Alduin" Uni said "He said so"

"The thing about Miraak is that he is very Narcissistic. Ironically, it keeps him from lying, because boasting about his deeds to himself means everything to him. Herma Mora allowed him to stay in Apocrypha for an untold amount of time, which gave Miraak access to almost unlimited knowledge and power" I said in affirmation "Like I said before, it is possible that he is stronger than Alduin because a Daedric Prince backed him up. This is probably the reason we haven't seen Alduin, or many of his Dragons. Unfortunately for Miraak, he doesn't know how to kill Alduin indefinitely, which we'd better be thankful for. If Miraak absorbed Alduin's soul, he could ascend to the level of Daedric Prince himself, given his ability to bend hundreds of Dragons to his will"

"Does this book have a name?" Nepgear asked "Blanc could have put it in some order by letter or-"

"Dewey Decimal system?" I asked "Does that even exist here?"

"No" Uni said "I've never heard of it"

"I wouldn't know what the name of it is, these books very existence comes from Apocrypha, and contain Esoteric Knowledge" I told them.

"Esoteric Knowledge?" Nepgear asked

"Hidden Knowledge or symbolism within knowledge known, such as Arcane or mystical theories, or even knowledge that is true in one world or dimension, and fiction in another. Hermaeus Mora is the Daedric Prince of knowledge and memory, and that is all he truly cares about" I huffed.

"So he's looking for an ancient scroll?" Uni asked,

"An Elder Scroll. I won't go into what that is now, its not important. They only exist in Tamriel, or in planes of Oblivion surrounding that portion of Mundus. I know you don't have any. It surprises me that he would even care for those scrolls" I pondered that for a moment.

"But isn't that sort of thing his goal?" Nepgear asked.

"Elder Scrolls are knowledge to be sure, but Herma Mora doesn't usually care for obscure prophesies that may not happen. He scries fate, but not maybes. I don't know, I can't explain it, he just doesn't want those items, as far as I know. But he is looking for a specific one...maybe to stop others who would get it first. But why?" I don't really know, but I do know that in all the Elder Scrolls I have witnessed, Herma Mora didn't care about the game's namesake that much.

"I can tell you this" I said "Don't ever try reading one, they make lesser people mad, and the prepared go blind. They weren't meant to be read by us"

"I'll take your word for it" Uni said.

"Alduin can come back then?" Nepgear asked.

Everyone stopped and looked at me, even the twins.

"Alduin is after the both of us" I said "Miraak and I are the reason he's coming back. Yes he will return, but if we can somehow stop Miraak before he comes back, we may have a chance"

"And why would that be?" Uni said, slightly angry.

"Because we're going to Apocrypha" I announced holding up the Black Book I just found "And that should contain what we need to defeat our foes. Herma Mora doesn't just let these go, he gives them as invitations to his realm"

"I thought that was what the Oghma Infinium was for?" Nepgear asked.

"No, I told you the Oghma Infinium was a recruiting tool. Remember how Daedric Princes needed lesser Daedra or their own followers to interact with Mundus" I asked them

"Or portions of themselves" Nepgear added.

"That is where Daedric artifacts come in. That is what the Oghma Infinium is"

"A portion of a Daedric Prince?" Uni asked skeptically

"How do you think most Daedric artifacts are made?" I asked "Think again about Tauri or even my clones, my power went into those things. Daedric shrines or artifacts help them manifest a small portion to affect Mundus, for their own purposes. Their limits are great, so they find loopholes or devious means to work their dark wills. Hermaeus Mora lost the Oghma Infinium to me, because I will never take it back out, but he is the Prince of his realm, which is a Library. He has many artifacts, and all of those are mere books for which his realm is accessible" I held up the black book.

"So how do we get there?" Nepgear asked.

"That is what I will find out" I told them "Naturally, to reach Apocrypha, you just need to read the book, but that would only get one person there...unless perhaps if one grabs onto the reader before he or she reads the book. That might work!"

I turned to Mina.

"Where might we hide, in case of someone popping in to look for us?" she balked

"Hide?" she asked "Why do we need to hide?" she looked incredulous.

"You want Cultists, or even a hapless fool stumbling in on our unresponsive bodies, doing who know what? I mean, they can't harm us while we are in Apocrypha, but surrounding us and watching, or giving into temptation for baser vices..." I let that trail off, and looked at them all. Their faces were red.

"Pervert" Uni said.

"I only stated the obvious" I told them.

"That is a concern" Mina nodded "Follow me"

And everyone wouldn't look at me for the whole time we were walking to our destination.

"This is the North Tower" Mina replied "Its used for storage now, but I at least remembered the hidden room" She took a candle stick that hasn't been used in a long time, and turned it. A door opened up under the stairs.

"Through there" She explained. We followed into the room.

"There is a way to get out" Mina indicated the lever "And you shouldn't have a problem with air, as long as you're just reading a book"

"Thank You" I said. Mina gestured for the twins to come with her.

"Come on, Rom, Ram" she said "Let them do what they need to" Rom and Ram had different ideas.

"If they are going to save Blanc, I wanna go" Ram said.

"We'll save our Blanc" Rom inputed.

"No" I said "Apocrypha is dangerous. You two stay with Mina"

"You can't stop us, we wanna save our sister" Ram said.

"Yeah!" Rom fist pumped the air.

"Children! You. Will. Come. With. Me!" Mina enunciated.

"Let them stay" Nepgear said "They can watch us while we're gone. We will not allow them, Mina, but if we save Blanc, they should be here"

That actually got me thinking, how are we going to save her? Our physical bodies cannot reach Apocrypha without Herma Mora's intervention. And that will never happen.

"All right" Mina sighed "They can stay, but stay here! Do not go anywhere"

"Okay!" Ram said, satisfied. I have a bad feeling about this.

Mina closed the door.

Everyone immediately looked at me.

"Now what?" Uni asked. I looked at the book, it had the mass of tentacles in a circle on top, the seal of Hermaeus Mora. I suddenly thought this was too easy...why would Blanc have a black book? I shook myself.

"Now we get comfortable. Rom and Ram, you are only here to watch for Blanc's return. So go over there" I pointed to the opposite wall "I'll sit right here" I sat on the floor.

"Okay..."Nepgear said.

"Nepgear, come here" I patted the floor next to me with my right hand.

"Where do I sit?" Uni asked.

"Right here" I patted the floor with my left hand.

"Don't look or I'll smack you" Uni said as she sat crosslegged.

Nepgear started to fidget as well, and I remembered her dress style. I slapped myself.

"What's wrong?" she asked. I stared straight forward for a reason.

"Nothing" I said, and looked at the book again.

"Grab my arms and hold tight" I told Nepgear and Uni.

"What?!" they exclaimed.

"You heard me" I told them "If this has a small chance at working, you'll need to hold tight.

And they did, and Nepgear's breast brushed against my arm slightly.

"One arm will do, please!" I spouted.

"Sorry" they said in usion.

I sighed and finally opened the book. Rom and Ram dashed and grabbed Nepgear's and Uni's arms before I could stop. Tentacles appeared from the book as I read the title:

 _'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew'_

What?! What the Hell is a black book doing with my name on it! No! No! No!

Thetentacles wrapped over my neck and seemed to drag me closer, and I glanced peripherally and saw tentacles doing the same to the candidates. All of them. No!

 _'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry_

 _The story of one called challenger, and Console Patron Unit, and Father starts where one might seem to_ _start their life, in a home far from terror and consternation. His time upon the dregs of history was so mapped because of one simple incident. "I will challenge that dragon, and beat him once and for all" he exclaimed once. And Alduin the World Eater heard his claim. It was then_

When I finally regained sight after what felt like hours, I found myself standing on a podium with a table of books and pages. I looked up and I could see the green sky. I looked around and stacks of black books, against a stone wall that was common in Apocrypha, were everywhere. Pages were scattered around the floor at my feet. I picked up one and was surprised to read a math test from third grade, which I was surprised had my name on it, and my third grade teacher's writing, on what I got wrong and right.

" _You have to do better, Joshua, if you wish to pass my class"_ Mrs. Malagisi's words came unbidden in my head, and I saw her standing by the table, with a little boy in front of her.

"Did you study? Did you get your homework done" She was stern.

"No Mrs. Malagisi" the boy squeaked, ready to cry.

I really was a baby when I was younger.

"Is-is that you, Joshua?" Nepgear asked.

I jumped, and looked. All the Candidates were here, were watching that memeory?! No...

"He's crying, he's crying! The poor boy is crying!" the children chanted. I watched myself.

"Stop! Leave me alone" the boy cried.

"Go back to your cardboard box!" a big boy said, and pushed him. The children laughed.

I walked up to the table, and picked up a book. It was one of my favorites when I was younger:

'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' By J.K. Rowling.

I looked at another:

'The Hobbit' By J.R.R Tolkien.

These were my childhood books...I picked up a leather bound one.

'Holy Bible' King James Version. The greatest truth this world and any other has!

I looked ahead and at the other end of the enclosure (open ceiling) there was a closed gate.

This was Apocrypha, the black book dedicated to me, my own trap by Hermaeus Mora.

 _'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry-_ _Chapter 1 Memories._


	23. Andrew's Legacy: Chapter 1 Memories

_'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry_

 _The story of one called challenger, and Console Patron Unit, and Father starts where one might seem to_ _start their life, in a home far from terror and consternation. His time upon the dregs of history was so mapped because of one simple incident. "I will challenge that dragon, and beat him once and for all" he exclaimed once. And Alduin the World Eater heard his claim. It was then-_

 **Chapter 01-Memories**

"Stay with me" I said as we walked off the podium. It was a maze, but I saw the end of this maze, at a gate on the other side. There was no way to tell if it was the end of the chapter or just of this part of what I will now call my 'portion' of Apocrypha. A page flew in my direction and I grabbed it. This wasn't a page that I wrote, but a dialogue that I had with a person at school. I looked and the memory manifested itself in the maze.

There I was with a girl I had a crush on in High School...needless to say it never panned out.

" _What are you going to write about?" she asked._

" _The Romanov's are too tragic to touch on, not to mention the scandal with 'Anastasia' living. I'll write on King Louis XVI"_

" _He was a tragic case too you know!" she replied._

" _Yeah but getting beheaded is better in my mind, than watching your whole family gunned down and then you get shot yourself"_

" _You're crazy" she said._

" _Only the maddest" I replied shyly._

 _SKIP_

" _I am not looking for a relationship with anyone at the school, least of all you" she said._

" _But I thought we were friends at least" I tried to salvage what I could._

" _Friends...right! What gave you that idea" and she walked away._ She was friendly until she heard the inevitable gossip surrounding me. School wasn't fun for me...

"That was horrible" Uni said.

"Let's move on" I replied.

The maze extended for what felt like forever, occasionally we stumbled upon a seeker or a Lurker. I told them to not go HDD, as while it was possible Hermaeus Mora knew we were here, it was better that he never confirmed it, until we got to Blanc. It did cross my mind, that Blanc might not even be in this part of Apocrypha, but there was a reason Herma Mora left it in the library. Which brings up the question on how Aurora could have known it was in the Library unless I put it back sometime before Blanc conceived her to tell her about it. She might have even been here in the future...as a kid...

"Hey, what's this?" Ram picked up a toy figure. It was a Burger King toy figure of Goku from several years ago! Immediately we witnessed another memory of my past. I was ten years old:

" _Kamehameha!" he shouted and drew his finger from the silver Goku figure to the Lincoln Log set on the floor._

" _Hey, Joshua! That wasn't nice, now I have to rebuild. If you do it again, I'm telling Catherine!" Jeremiah pouted (he was my youngest brother, until Catherine gave birth to Asher, my half brother)_

" _That is what you get for skinning my stuffed animal squirrel!" Joshua said,_ Yeah I remember caring for those stupid stuffed animals, when I was younger...rather girlish of me.

" _It's not my fault you always have to go to Daddy's office. You open your big mouth too much! We were just having fun" Jeremiah was fixing his Lincoln Log set._

" _So that means you break my stuff" Joshua kicked the Lincoln Logs everywhere "You like it when it happens to you?"_

 _Jeremiah started crying, and pushed into his oldest brother as he ran to tell Catherine._

" _You're mean, you know that?" Jacob said._

" _And you all hate me" he replied, as he heard the familiar weight of grown up feet, going up the stairs._

" _Joshua!" she called "Get down here now!"_

"That wasn't my greatest moment" I said as I continued down the maze "You can keep the toy if you want" And Ram pocketed the figurine.

The maze was never ending, it seemed to go on forever, keeping us on edge. I tried to ignore all the pages and the pictures and all the little odds and ends on the floor of the maze of books (the maze walls were black books). But when I came to a long hallway I saw another table on the side in the wall of books. As we went past the table, I noticed more books. These were books from Tamriel finally! There were some soul gems of various sizes and a scroll of fireball, and The Book of the Dragonborn, The Ruins of Kemel-Ze and a few others, and a picture of my three sisters...Nepgear picked it up.

"Who are these people?" she asked. I braced myself for a memory.

"They were my sisters" I said

"Were?" Uni asked. I nodded. And then it came...no!

" _Hey! Joshua, come here" a red haired girl yelled through the house. She couldn't have been more than ten years old._

" _Hold your horses, girl will ya?" he said as he marched to her._

" _Look what I found! It was in Mommy's photo album" she showed him the picture._

" _Oh yeah. That was when we were little" he said "They always called us the three Andrew boys, because my Dad had named us all starting with J from the Bible. There was me, or Joshua, then you know Jacob, our middle brother, and then there was Jeremiah. Man we looked young, I hardly recognize us"_

" _Your dad was weird" she said "Mine is better"_

" _If you say so, Rebbecca. But if Mom didn't marry him, I wouldn't be here, now would I?"_

 _She tackled him to the ground._

" _Help me" he said in mock distress_

" _I got you" she laughed._

"What happened to them?" Uni asked.

I wiped a quick tear from my eye.

"Never ask me that" I replied

"Your brothers had black hair, and your sisters had red hair?" Nepgear asked

"But my color was always light brown, a different shade than Blanc's" I said, I grabbed the soul gems and the scroll and put them in my inventory "My dad had black hair, and my mom had brownish-red hair. When they divorced, my mom married a man with Blond hair, put that together and you have red haired sisters. My sisters, the Ellis sisters and the Andrew Brothers, three and three. My dad married an evil woman with blond hair as well, and I have Asher and Zachary (my half brothers), with dirty blond hair. You'll probably see them too, if Hermaeus Mora wishes to torture me further" I moved forward, and Nepgear pocketed the photo.

We continued through the maze, until I saw the exit. I ran as fast as I could go, to get out. The gate was locked.

"Look for a Scrye" they are activators to open the gates and staircases "That'll allow us to go forward"

"I found it" Uni said. She pressed the button, and the gate swung forward.

We entered the next area, and it was a stone enclosure, with an open ceiling. I saw a tower in the distance, that was probably our destination. The enclosure had a pool of green water in the middle and two tentacles coming out of it.

"Try not to go near the water, will you?" I said "Those tentacles will attack" On either side of the pool, was a little metal bridge connected to a table. The one on the farthest side looked like it had stuff on it, but the one closest to us only had skulls on it. Three to be exact...

"No" I moaned softly, and went to the other side. The candidates followed me.

On this particular table there were sheets of paper and a few books. Thankfully the books were from Tamriel, but the pieces of paper weren't. I glanced at them, and I wasn't surprised. They were stories I wrote a while back. Writing was a hobby of mine when I was younger. Probably because they were fiction, they didn't induce a memory.

"How did he get these?" I took the pages and ripped them apart.

"What were those?" Uni asked

"I wrote things as a hobby when I was in High School" I said "They were fiction so...  
"They didn't induce a memory" Negear said. We moved on.

The next chamber was open, with bridges everywhere and a large pool of water covering almost the whole area. There was another podium, overlooking a great green sea, with tentacles everywhere. And on that platform, was an open book. The entrance to the next area!

"Up there" I said "That open book is our ticket to Chapter two"

"Uh, Chapter Two?" Nepgear asked.

"Don't ask, please" I answered.

"So we have to go up there?" Ram asked "Past the monsters, and traps?"

"Yes, it's your fault for accompanying us" I said.

"Hmm? What's this?" Rom picked up a coin "Shiny!"

"Oh that's a coin I found, it was a golden one with the statue of Liberty on it"

"Statue of Liberty?" Rom asked.

"A symbol of Freedom" I explained quickly.

" _Hey, look what I found!" he said as he picked up the coin._

" _Is that real gold?" Jacob asked "Let me see Joshua!"_

" _It's mine" he said "You can't have it"_

" _I just wanted to see it" Jacob pouted._

" _Well you can't" Joshua sneered "Unless you ask nicely"_

 _Jacob huffed "May I see the coin?"_

" _Please?" Joshua said_

" _May I please_ _see_ _the coin?" Jacob gritted out_

" _Was that so hard?" he asked._

" _What did you find?" Jeremiah asked_

" _Joshua found a coin" Jacob said, and handed it over._

" _Hey, he didn't ask" Joshua said_

" _I'll give it right back Joshua" Jeremiah said, and gave it back "Cool"_

" _Isn't it?" he said "I'm going to ask if its real gold. I know Daddy will know"_

" _Hey, let's play Star Wars when we get home!" Jeremiah said "Jacob and I will be the good guys, and you'll be the bad"_

" _You don't know the power of the dark side!" Joshua said, in his best Darth Vader voice._

"That was a long time ago" I said "Keep the coin if you want Rom"

Rom put it in her pocket. "Yay" she said.

"You were that demanding with your brothers?" Uni asked.

"When I was younger. I mellowed out pretty fast, you have to if you wanted someone to like you. My brothers and sisters became my very best friends" I replied as we ascended a ramp to start the climb to the podium. There were seekers and lurkers, but we took them out, pretty quickly, and in no time at all we were close to the platform.

"Is that a gun?" Uni ran to the spot where the gun was. It was a Nerf gun. The G-force Retaliator if my memory is correct (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

"That was a good toy gun. It was my favorite, actually" I said in response "You probably could modify it to use it in battle"

"It looks cool!" Uni exclamed "Um, well, it'll work anyway. I might use it" Right Uni, tsundere to the end.

" _Got you" the blond haired boy said_

" _Aww come on Asher, go for someone else!"_

" _That's not how that works, Zachary" Asher said "The game was to get the opposite team. Like Call of Duty"_

" _But everyone always gets me" Zachary pouted._

" _Come on guys" Jacob said "Let's not fight"_

" _I'm not playing this game anymore" Zachary stomped off._

" _What's going on?" I asked._

" _Zachary cried that he got hit with the bullets" Asher said._

" _But that's what the game is about" I said._

" _I know. He just cries over everything" Asher said._

" _We just won't play with him next time" Jacob replied "Because he's a poor sport"_

" _Zachary is twelve" I said "He shouldn't be acting like this still. We haven't acted like this since we were kids"_

" _I know Joshua" Jacob said "But this is a different generation"_

" _He'll never survive the military" I told them "My drill Sergeant would have destroyed him for that"_

" _Yeah, this isn't the Military Joshua" Asher said "It doesn't count"_

" _Still want to join in four years?" I asked him "Want to join the Air Force like I did?"_

" _No" he replied "I don't want to get budget cutted like you did"_

" _More's the pity" I replied._

"That was only a month ago" I said, softly. Uni was silent.

"Come on guys" Nepgear said "Chapter Two is right there"

We went up to the podium and entered Chapter Two

 _'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry- Chapter 2 Present Crossroads._


	24. Andrew's Legacy: Ch2 Present Crossroads

_'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry_

 _The story of one called challenger, and Console Patron Unit, and Father starts where one might seem to_ _start their life, in a home far from terror and consternation. His time upon the dregs of history was so mapped because of one simple incident. "I will challenge that dragon, and beat him once and for all" he exclaimed once. And Alduin the World Eater heard his claim. It was then-_

 **Chapter 02-Present Crossroads**

"Wow. We teleported! We must have" Nepgear was excited.

"Those designs and that script..."Uni trailed off.

"This is Apocrypha" I replied.

"Where are we now?" Ram asked.

"In a tunnel of books" I said "We must find our way to the end of this chapter. With any luck, this 'book' will be short" For Blanc's sake it must...

"Stay close to me" I said "If a corridor opens up, tell me first! There's no telling what's in here and I don't want to get separated. If Herma Mora knows we're here, that'll be his plan"

"When you said Library, I didn't think it meant this" Nepgear said.

"I don't ever want to see another book again" Uni replied.

We walked down the ever expanding labyrinth of books, with no end in sight, no sky, and no monsters either. The tables were mostly empty (I took what little magic scrolls and soul gems that I found), and there were no Pods that I remember dotted Apocrypha's halls.

"It's scary" Rom shuddered.

"I'm here Rom" Ram took her hand.

I glanced behind me, to make sure they were alright, and almost passed a set of books on one of the tables. I went to look at those books: Dragon Language-Myth no more; Book of the Dragonborn; Atlas of Dragons; and a book on the Dragon shouts. The last book was hand written, like someone had written down all of the shouts, and their meanings, in a way that I could understand. Every shout that existed in Skyrim was written here, I realized. Funny, it felt familiar, like I know the hand writing...

I put all the books in my inventory and moved on, elated. I could learn the Dragonrend shout, which I thought I could never learn. That writing was so familiar...I shook myself. No point in pondering it now.

"What's wrong?" Nepgear asked "What were those books?"

"Keys to victory, but at what price I don't know" I said, as we entered a circular enclosure, with an open ceiling. This was an intersection. A button was pressed and the gate swung closed, trapping the candidates.

"Joshua!" Nepgear shouted "We're stuck!"

"Hold on!" I looked around trying to find a Scrye, and then a gate opened to the left and right of me. A man in strange garb stepped out. And I looked at his face, no it can't be...

"Master Neloth of House Telvanni" I said in greeting.

"Hmm? What's that?" he looked over and walked to me.

"So, someone who might be like me. Tell me, what indeed are you doing here? It is my understanding that very few transverse these halls unscathed. You look normal" he peered at me and studied me scientifically for a few moments "at least as normal as one caught in old Herma Mora's halls could be. Again, what is your purpose here?"

"I have business with Hermaeus Mora, as he took something that didn't belong to him. I want it back" I tried to be as vague as I could.

"Now that is a dangerous path indeed. Hermaeus Mora gives nothing away for free. You may end up like Miraak, of course" he chuckled.

"Yes, well, I'm not as weak as most you have conversed with, and anyone could be persuaded with enough pressure" I told him.

"And you think you have power enough to pressure a Daedric Prince? In his own realm?" Neloth laughed "You must be mad, but I am entertained. I may be able to help you, for a certain price, of course"

"What could that be? And how could you help me?" I asked, neutrally.

"I am a Master wizard! What kind of question is that?" he said amiably "As for my price, I require a certain book, that I was told might be here. The Oghma Infinium!" I paled.

"Who told you that book would be here?" He lit up.

"You have it? The actual Oghma Infinium? I've searched for it myself for many years without success! Old Mora told me of course. This is a game he plays, surely as one who walks his halls, you know this" He paused, while I took it out.

"Here it is" I said.

"Good" he snatched it out of my hands before I could protest. He muttered a few words, and a copy was conjured out of thin air.

"Here is the original" he handed it back to me "My copy doesn't contain any magic at all, so those self casting spells that are still there, I could study without affecting myself. We can play his game as well. I'll call this the Oghma Finium, to discern the difference"

"Now how does that help me?" I asked.

"It's simple really. Hermaeus Mora hordes these secrets and those who seek this knowledge often do not go back to share that knowledge. His greatest treasure, or one of them anyways, is now in a readable form, and ready for easy distribution in Tamriel. He'll be frantic trying to reclaim the knowledge, both the original and the copy I just made. No need to thank me"

"That doesn't really help me" I sighed.

"Take what happened with a grain of salts for all I care, you are at the crossroads of fate! Think of a solution with the event that just transpired, and use it against old Mora. Here, if you want something more substantial" and he thrust a book at me, which upon quick inspection, was a skill book for an ash guardian...that could be useful.

"I wrote it myself, so you should not have a problem, if you can understand such things" He straightened his robes and was about to enter the right gate.

"By the way" Neloth turned to look at me, one last time "What is your name?"

"Joshua Andrew" I said. His eyebrows lit up.

"Is it really? I thought so, the Black book I'm perusing right now is called 'The Dilemma of the lost one: Joshua Andrew' by William Henry. Most likely it is an alternate version of your life that is crossed by your Black Book. Esoteric Knowledge can really be a pain sometimes. You know who I am, so you must know where I live. Come around sometime, if you're interested. I daresay I need the company of someone who thinks like me, and according to this book, you do" And with that he entered the right gate. He activated a Scrye and the gates swung shut. Ours swung open.

"Who was that?" Nepgear asked. I added the skill book to my inventory, and confirmed the Oghma Infinium's location within it. Satisfied, I closed my window.

"A Telvanni wizard by the name of Master Neloth. I know him, not personally until now, and was nostalgic for a time. He is very inteligent and also very Narcissistic. Not someone to trifle with"

We continued for a time, down the dark hallways of the tunnel enclosure, in a tense silence. There wasn't anything of import on any table that I ran into...which was strange to be sure, but with the lack of monsters, and the lack of loot, or anything substantial, I was beginning to wonder.

"Umm, not to be a pessimist or anything, but what is going on here?" Uni said.

"I would do anything to be out of these tunnels" Nepgear added.

"It's quite simple" I said "Someone was here recently. And it wasn't Master Neloth. I thought it was strange that those books back there were just in a stack so convenient for me to find, answers to problems that I was having in regards to defeating Alduin, and even Miraak. I found it equally strange that a black book was just within our reach in Lowee, and that the Oghma Infinium contained the knowledge that it did. Well the Oghma Infinium really could have been coincidence, but the rest of this wasn't"

"What are you saying?" Nepgear asked.

"Someone, who is not Herma Mora, is helping us. And that someone might have arranged the meeting with me and Master Neloth" I said, concerned.

"And is responsible for the Seekers and Lurkers not being here?" Uni asked, catching on with Nepgear.

"Yes" I said "But for what purpose. Nothing is free" I glanced behind me, to make sure Rom and Ram are still following. They were holding hands, their faces with fear and guilt. I sighed. They never should have come.

"Someone is helping us, but-"

"What concerns me, is that they could be steering us to some malevolent goal, worse than Miraak or Alduin" I interrupted.

"What is worse than those guys?" Ram asked.

"An excellent question" I said "I have no idea" They stopped and stared at me.

"I don't have an answer to everything" I said "I don't have an idea, but there is always something bigger than what you're facing" And we continued walking. Before long, at the end of a very long corridor, was an open book. The entrance to Chapter III.

"Brace yourselves. That's chapter three over there. There could be a trap, so don't run to it!" I stopped them from sprinting over there.

"I hope we're at somewhere with an open sky" Nepgear stated. We walked to the open book and braced ourselves for Chapter III.

 _Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry- Chapter_ _3_ _Future._


	25. Andrew's Legacy: Chapter 3 Future

_'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry_

 _The story of one called challenger, and Console Patron Unit, and Father starts where one might seem to_ _start their life, in a home far from terror and consternation. His time upon the dregs of history was so mapped because of one simple incident. "I will challenge that dragon, and beat him once and for all" he exclaimed once. And Alduin the World Eater heard his claim. It was then-_

 **Chapter 03-Future**

"Finally some fresh air" Or at least as fresh as you could have in Apocrypha.

"Yes Nepgear, we are out in the open" I answered her exclamation. And looked around. That tower was closer now, and close enough to see an opening. So we have to climb it after all. It was a pretty big tower, for something to have been dedicated to my 'book'.

Looking at the path to the tower though, it seems as it was fraught with dangers.

"There's our monsters" I said pointing at our path.

"It's a pretty narrow path, quite a change from mazes and labyrinths" Uni pointed out.

"And that's a good thing" Nepgear stated.

We looked at the open book back to Chapter II with disgust, and I realized we were on a Podium, from which there was naught but open sea. The first part must have been on the other side, I mused.

"Kind of makes you wonder how big this Plane of Oblivion really is" I said. The others looked at the sea like me, and grunted with acknowledgement.

"Now there is no railing" I said, and those platforms are all flat, easy to fall in the water. Our path doesn't rise or lower, it is completely flat "So don't fall in, this water does something to your bodies. I won't elaborate, but I will tell you that these are temporary-" I pointed at our bodies "So if we were to 'die' here, we'd go back to Lowee. But there's no telling what that would do since we're all attached to the book at the same time" I let that sink in.

"Umm, Joshua" Rom got my attention.

"That's the first time you said my name" I replied.

"There's someone down below!" she pointed.

"What!" I searched and found someone indeed. I jumped the podium, heedless of my own instructions.

I ran, pummeling Seekers and Lurkers as I go, faster than I ever thought possible. The person in question was firing arrows at a Lurker, that looked like it was stronger than the others. But inevitably the Lurker was gaining the advantage. That person felt familiar to me...

I glanced behind me, the candidates were almost caught up with me, didn't they listen!

I used my staff to electrocute the Lurker, who switched targets to me before it got hit by bullets. Uni was trying to tip it! I waited for the opportune moment before using my lightning again. It fell in the water, and a tentacle dragged it to the bottom, presumably. The person in question immediately started to attack me. And try to get away. They were fast, whoever this is. I chanced HDD to catch up, and hit the person into the tower.

She transformed, for it was obviously a girl, well developed I see. She wore a jumpsuit reminiscent of the Twins HDD and brandished a crossbow, instead of a regular bow, she must have had (she was a hooded, cloaked figure in non HDD so). Her hair reminded me of cotton candy, it was half pink (like Ram's HDD hair) and half blue (more to my shade of HDD blue than Rom's), with a single pink bang going across her face. She reminded me of Lowee's CPUs, in all but her breast size (to be fair, I haven't seen Blanc in HDD yet), which was more to the average than to the flatter side (I'm by no means an expert). Her eyes had the power Irises, a trait all CPUs in HDD share, but it was her face...her face...

"Aurora!" I exclaimed, just as the candidates caught up.

She lowered the crossbow in shock, her mouth wide open.

"You were not supposed to know that yet!" Her voice showed emotion.

"You know her?" Nepgear exclaimed as I descended to the ground.

"I saw her once" I said "When I saw the future"

"This was all wrong, I was supposed to escape!" her face was in complete despair.

"She's a CPU" Uni said.

"She's my daughter" I said.

"WHAT!?" their exclamations of shock were so loud, I had to cover my ears.

"Her face shown anger, and rage at me before masking it, tears coming down her face. She descended. Her crossbow disappeared.

"I-I can't be mad at you y-yet" she said as she walked toward me. We both remained in HDD.

"You were our helper weren't you?" I asked. She nodded. I let my staff disappear, as she came closer. She regarded me for a moment, then wiped her tears and knelt down to be face to face with the twins.

"In all these years, you haven't changed. I've missed you both" She hugged them tight "Aunt Rom, Aunt Ram...I love you both" The shock of them all got deeper. The twins returned her hug.

"Wait" Ram said "We're your Aunts?"

She nodded in affirmation.

"That means-" Nepgear couldn't finish it. There was no lie, no mistaking it. Aurora looked too much like the twins, and from what I thought Nepgear and Uni were suspecting was Blanc (considering they have seen her HDD). They were probably comparing us for confirmation, and noticed the same light blue hair color, the similar features in the face and complexion, and all that other stuff. I sighed.

They know about Blanc and I in the future. Their faces showed it, red with embarrassment and refusing to look at me.

"Yes it does Miss Nepgear" Aurora confirmed it solemnly "It's good to see you as well, you change very little yourself"

"Miss Uni!" Aurora looked at her, with adoration "your sister sends her regards, though I wasn't supposed to give them to you"

She gave them both a hug. They returned it awkwardly, but I don't think Aurora noticed.

She finally took a good look at me.

"You" she said, not unkindly "You have a long road ahead of you" She looked around, trying not to look at me. What exactly did I do to her in the future? She looked up, as if pondering things.

"Mom is atop of this tower. You must save her from Herma Mora, though I probably didn't have to tell _you_ that" she huffed "I can, and will accompany you until you reach Chapter four, but not after that point. I will see you soon after you kill the beast, though" She refused to look at me, staring at the ceiling of the tower.

"How did you get here?" Nepgear asked.

"In this time?" Aurora asked.

"Yes"

" _He_ is the only one that understands this, but somehow old Mora's realm is malleable in time, at least. A friend of mine, he, well let me borrow the Mad Magic-I mean his Mother's time machine. I was able to set it to the time I was given that you would be here, but I read 'Andrew's Legacy' without turning on the machine itself. Apparently the 'book' knew where to take me, and brought me to this chapter. From there I was able to fly to the outer portion of 'Chapter II' and arrange the meeting between Neloth and my dad. Neloth is awesome by the way, hard to get used to, but he always had time for me, when I would bother him with a question. I had went previously into II from the open enclosure to make the meeting possible and to deposit some items Dad had asked me to give to his earlier self" She looked at me briefly then, before continuing "I cannot enter the books in between, else I would be stuck in this time, instead of my own. Old Mora is like that"

"You've had a lot of dealings with Neloth?" I asked her.

She sighed. "Don't tell me you're jealous-ah" she stopped herself and became more composed before she continued "Yes, Neloth taught me a lot. I can do magic no one else in Gameindustri is capable of. He made me a member of his house, although I think that's a political move. Tells all the other House to back off, if they tried the same thing. House Telvanni isn't to be trifled with"

"What did I do to you?" I asked, almost in despair.

" _you_ did nothing yet. But you will, not like you can help it can you?" she shook herself, and I'm reminded of me...Nostalgia.

"We're wasting time" Aurora said "We've got to get to Mom, or you all do anyway"

She went into the tower, and started up the stairs. We followed. It turns out that we didn't have to do much. True to her word, she was capable of Magic, that not even I was capable of. Her magic attacks were reminiscent of Neloth's I observed, and that made me wonder what exactly happened, for Neloth (a complete Narcissist) to train her to this level. He usually did things to suit himself, so...

"How did you get him to train you?" I asked her.

"You recognize him then. He did say you would, when you saw me" she was currently vaporizing a Seeker "He saw something in me. He knew I was your daughter. Told me that was the most selfless thing he's ever done. It was brutal, don't get me wrong, but in the end I impressed him. He taught me more than any other apprentice he's ever had. He left me Tel Mithryn, when he died"

"What did he die of?" I asked.

"He was murdered by evil most foul" Aurora said with gritted teeth. There were pods everywhere, in this tower, and many books besides. Aurora sifted through them with speed I have never seen, like she knew what to take. She gave me a few Conjuration skill books, including one I've never seen before: Conjure Champion's Armor. Some of the others include: Flame Thrall, Conjure Seeker, Conjure Sword, and Conjure Bow (she insisted on the bow). She had also found some destruction, and Alteration spells, a healing spell and some kind of skill book I've never seen before, but that she knew of. Finally we got to the top.

"This is it" She said, as we followed in the room "That book will take you to Mom"

"You can't just fly up there?" Nepgear asked.

"No I won't. I shouldn't have been seen by you, but Old Mora had other plans. Those daedra were meant for me, not you. He wants you all up there" Aurora looked at me.

"Umm, may I ask you a question?" Uni asked. I wanted to face palm, but I didn't.

"What is it?" Aurora replied.

"What are you called when you're in HDD" Uni pointed at her HDD form.

"Mom calls me White Daughter, but _he_ thought that was stupid" she glared at me then "Everyone else calls me Cotton Candy. Thanks to you" she pointed at me. Everyone laughed, and even Aurora managed a small smile, her face reddening slightly.

She started down the stairs, ending her HDD, which cloaked her human form. That brown cloak somehow was familiar to me...wait.

"Wait!" I said. She inclined her head.

"I-I want to get a hug too" I can't believe I said that. If she wasn't my daughter, I would have kissed my man card goodbye.

She continued walking "You can wait a year, Dad. See you then"

I was saddened by her...dislike (?) for me. But at least she acknowledged me as her dad. I remember the future that I saw:

" _Daddy" a little girl laughed as she ran towards us, her hair was a light brown color, like mine._ _"_ _Aurora! Your father is sick! Didn't I tell you that" Blanc came over to try to take Aurora away._

 _She jumped up and gave me the biggest hug..._

That would have to do for now, and as I turned to look at my comrades-

"A year?!" Nepgear looked incredulous.

"You don't wait at all do you?" Uni was torn between being sickened and being happy-a unique look to be sure...Wait I don't wait a year?! I shook myself.

"Pervert" Uni said. Rom and Ram just look puzzled.

"Alright" I said, a bit embarrassed "The final battle is just upstairs, so to speak, so here" I opened my inventory, and took out the black book.

"That's-"

"The 'book' called 'Andrew's Legacy'" I held it out to Nepgear. She took it "When I say so, that is, when I have Blanc and I have handed her over to you. Use it, and be sure to hold onto each other tight"

"What about you? There's no way we're leaving you to Hermaeus Mora by yourself. Especially now that you can't die! For Aurora's sake"

"There is another way to leave!" I said "Remember what my daughter said about me knowing these things. There is a copy of 'Andrew's Legacy' here in Apocrypha. It acts as an anchor, so the book can transport between Mundus and Oblivion, like a gate"

They nodded, ready.

"You're not lying are you?" Ram asked.

"Yeah, we're Aunts now!" Rom said "You have to come back"

"For her sake" Ram finished.

"She wouldn't have been here if I didn't hmm?" I told them.

I stepped forward, and touched the book.

 _Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry- Chapter_ _4_ _Tower Summit._


	26. Andrew's LegacyChapter 26

_'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry_

 _The story of one called challenger, and Console Patron Unit, and Father starts where one might seem to_ _start their life, in a home far from terror and consternation. His time upon the dregs of history was so mapped because of one simple incident. "I will challenge that dragon, and beat him once and for all" he exclaimed once. And Alduin the World Eater heard his claim. It was then-_

 **Chapter 04-Tower Summit**

I stepped away from the book towards the center, and I saw her. The candidates all appeared right after me, and saw her too. I held up my hand, to stop their exclamations. Pure rage was within me, and it was all I could do to hold it-hold her from appearing. Blanc was half covered in tentacles, her eyes dazed to the extreme. Her dress was gone, like it was melted by the mass that enveloped her. Lightning crackled all around me. The eye of Mora was looking at me, while it's tentacles still were pumping in and out of her head: her ears and mouth, sucking all the knowledge out. I know why Aurora would not come up here, she would destroy everything. Which is what I wanted to do right now. Blanc...

I screamed so loud the tentacles evaporated-or appeared to anyway. I heard yells from behind me, and I spared only a glance. They weren't dead. I took a step towards Mora, boom. And another, boom. I was past the point I've ever been, only noticing I'm still a guy peripherally and uncaring.

Blanc was naked on the ground, her eyes just seeing me for the first time. I took a dress, really a night gown out of my inventory (Rei's clothes) and wrapped her with it as I picked her up. Her hand came up weakly and touched my cheek. Slime was all over her, her hair was wet and stuck to her, a part of it was covering an eye. I brushed it away, as I walked back to Nepgear.

"Your...cool...H...D...D" was all she could manage. But she smiled at me, as I handed her to Nepgear. Mora's eye was on me. I spared one second a look, they were all afraid of me, like this was a side they haven't seen before.

"Hermaeus Mora" I said softly, but everyone could hear it "Prince of Memory. Perhaps you will remember this day. Prince of Knowledge. Know that you WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE. AS THEY ARE MY WITNESS, I CHALLENGE YOU. AS THEY ARE MINE I WILL FIGHT FOR THEM"

I summoned my staff, and spared a glance at it. It really looked cool in HDD. Rei Ryghts was fully synced with me now, there was no divergence. I stayed a man, because we know who challenged the prince of knowledge. And he will know until we were done.

"That...was...a...good...speech. I...will...have...it...in...memory...forever. But...you...challenge...foolishly. And...none...with...you...will...escape...because...of...it." as he spoke, the air grew dark, like all of him was drawn to this spot. This was Hermaeus Mora in all his glory, in all his entirety "I...am...Hermaeus...Mora. Prince...of...Knowledge...and...Memory. And...I...Joshua...Andrew, accept...your...challenge. Prepare...to...dieeeee!" (An epic Music I didn't recognize started playing)

The sky was so dark, and all I could see was eyes and tentacles, as they glowed with Magic. The Fight had begun.

I 'shouted' dragon fire and it was the biggest I've ever seen . Seemingly without moving, Mora deflected it.

"FINAL EXE ATTACK: ULTIMATE BOMB" I shrieked, Rei's voice synced with mine, as a large bomb erupted out of my hand.

"AHHHHGHH" Mora cried, and flicked me down hard with a thought. I erupted out of the hold and Screamed and screamed. Power coursed through me and hundreds of Purple Hearts and Black Hearts were summoned. Rei's clones, her power.

"EXE ATTACKS" I screamed, and the clones readied themselves. They performed their energy attacks, as I did Final Eclipse.

I surprised Mora, that much I know. He recoiled, and it was as if he split in two.

"GO NOW NEPGEAR!"And I turned to watch her. In an instant they disappeared, and Hermaeus Mora cried in anger at being tricked. He gathered himself and eliminated the clones instantly.

"YOU FOOL. YOU DARE DEFY A PRINCE" he said, no slow speech this time.

"YOU WON'T INTERFERE IN GAMEINDUSTRI NOW, NOT WHEN I GAVE THE OGHMA FINIUM TO TAMRIEL" I responded.

He screamed in anger, and narrowly missed me as I ran for the book. He swatted me away, and covered the book in black darkness. There was no escape.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE MY REALM" he boasted.

"MIRAAK MAY STILL LISTEN TO REASON, AND BRING ME BACK THE OTHERS. YOU HAVE FAILED _CHALLENGER!"_ No I didn't. I don't know how Mora forgot this, but my real body was in Gameindustri. The water below should render me unable to stay in Apocrypha, thus enabling me to return. I 'shouted' Ice at him, and this time it hit. I summoned more clones to distract him, and leaped off the tower. This was one battle I could not win. I deactivated HDD, and as I hit the water I screamed. It did hurt a lot. Finally I entered blackness.

 **The End**

"-And upon their deaths, and White Heart's acceptance. Miraak will rule Lowee!" A deep voice rumbled.

I opened my eyes, and saw my reflection. The silvery blue hair, that was Rei's non HDD color, was prominent, which a while back now, replaced my light brown color that my daughter will have. My eyes, a deep blue, were once hazel colored. Greenish hazel to be exact. My hands, more feminine like than that which I had for my adult life previously, were displayed. I put the closed black book in my inventory and looked up. There was a collective gasp, as I stood up, and regarded my surroundings. First I looked for Hermaeus Mora, and when I didn't see him, Cultists came up with bindings. I 'shouted'

"HERMAEUS MORA. I WON, I BEAT YOUR PLAN" The Cultists stumbled back and looked at their leader, which was a Dragon. He was the source of the rumbled speaker.

I laughed, and laughed.

"I beat him, I beat him" I said over and over "He can't come here now!"

The Dragon talked to me, and I looked. Next to me, bound with magic chains, was Nepgear, and Uni, and Rom, and Ram...and Blanc. They all looked worse for wear, and Blanc was naked again, like she was just dragged out here. Mina and Financier were bound as well: they all looked at me, elated, scared, puzzled, happy I made it. I shook myself, and regarded the dragon.

"I said surrender, challenger, in the name of Miraak" he said to me. I thought of a plan, quick, that just might work. I opened my CPU window, and saw Pong Cannon. Tauri was in Lastation, yes, but it was like Rei Ryghts was urging me to use it.

"I'll make you a wager Dragon" I said, as the Cultists were backing away "I'll Surrender if this doesn't kill you in one shot"

"You don't have that power, to kill us in one hit, Miraak is the only one with that power, and he is Dovahkiin. I accept this wager. One shot only" he replied.

"If you die, your forces must surrender" I said.

"They will do, what they will do. Now, give me your best shot" the dragon commanded.

"Very well then" I activated Pong cannon. A lock on screen and power output meter was displayed. I locked onto the Dragon and pushed the power to 100%. A 'fire' button was displayed. I pushed it.

A pop up button said 'Command Confirmed'.

Everyone heard a boom. And in a few seconds the Dragon was vaporized. I quickly summoned my staff, as his soul entered the weapon.

For the next minute, everyone was silent, all the city was in shock.

Then the Cultists started a formation, with the intent of capturing or killing me no doubt. The others were in no shape to fight so I would have to. I went HDD, and summoned some clones.

"You cannot have this city" I said, and Rei's voice was within me. Ten Purple Hearts and ten black hearts were surrounding myself and my friends. Then we all heard it, the marching, the chanting.

"Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he...And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, That world shall cease to be. Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he..." Miraak's mind controlled force had arrived. I didn't think this would be easy, but the time we were all in Apocrypha, was all Miraak needed to take the city.

The shrine! Maybe destroying it would free the people from this slavery. I cannot kill them, their minds are not their own. Well, I did learn some cool tricks in Apocrypha, and as long as I command that the people won't get hurt, it just might work.

"Listen up" I said, without looking at them "The clones will free you. Get to the castle, and make sure Blanc is okay. Rom and Ram will protect the castle, and Mina and Financier will help Blanc. Stay or help me, either way, I will destroy that shrine"

"No don't! That shrine contains Lowee's sharecite" Mina said.

"What the hell is a Sharicite?" I asked.

"It's what manages the shares for the nation, so the CPU doesn't experience overload. If you destroy it, in Lady Blanc's state, it might kill her, before another one is created"

"Then I'll disable it, and bring the Sharicite back" I said

"You can't, you're another CPU! What'll stop you from stealing it-"

(One they fear starts playing)

"On my life, and that of the future, that'll never happen" I summon an Ash Guardian.

"I COMMAND YOU TO ATTACK THE CULTISTS, ONLY" My iron will will have to be a substitute for a heart stone.

I summoned three more, and made my way to the shrine, which was conveniently on the other side of this City square. The battle for Lowee had just begun.


	27. Chapter 27

Dragons were coming now, Miraak's real force. I had Ash guardians everywhere, and a hundred clones besides. But my power was at its limit, from Apocrypha, from this battle, from Lastation, from the Pong Cannon...I truly didn't have much Magicka left. And five or more dragons have shown up now. If Miraak does, I'm in trouble.

The Cultists, have taken a huge blow, many of them lie dead in the streets. But Miraak was no fool, and the mind controlled people were an effective shield for the shrine. If I started killing them...

ROAR! I looked up, not Miraak, just some Dragons. Alduin's perhaps, before Miraak bent their wills. And that is the biggest problem, Miraak's Bend Will power. But it was to be expected, if you had a Daedric Prince shower you with power for thousands of years. Lurkers and Seekers were summoned by the hundreds, thousands of slaves were there as well (the citizens of Lowee), five Dragons to boot...

I huffed. A cultist started attacking me, and I killed him with lightning, Seekers showed up, and I 'shouted' them to death. My clones were tired, some had already fallen, but they were as powerful as a CPU should be, so most that disappeared were because my Magicka was depleted. I would probably need to rest for a week to get my full strength back. An Ash Guardian fell, and a Lurker knocked me to the ground. This wasn't good at all. I flew up in the air and tried to do an EXE attack. I lost HDD...yep my supposed infinite power was just spent. I hit the ground, and got back up. I still had my staff, but now it used up charge levels, instead of my power. A clone was blasted into me. It was a Purple Heart clone, it got back up, and jumped back in. Well, at least my army was still here.

Screams were in the streets, and I took a second to look. My Ash Guardians were attacking everything in sight.

"NO!" I said, as slaves fell in the streets "Attack the Ash Guardians! Take them all out" As it turned out, I only had two left. But there were some slaves dead because of me...Miraak will pay for this!

A dragon came over and killed a clone with fire, and another attacked a group of them. We were losing this fight. An explosion happened in the square, and more clones and slaves were killed. Another Lurker hit me in the face, and I flew back into a clone. I got up. A Black Heart Clone had cushioned my fall. I took it by the hand and helped it up, rubbing my face. That hurt. It was already attacking the Lurker. The Lurker was taken out, and then a Seeker killed the clone. I shot lightning at it from my staff, and ended the Seeker's life. I think I had thirty some odd clones left by then. And Miraak's force looked unchanged.

"Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he...And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, That world shall cease to be. Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he..." The slaves were chanting over and over.

I huffed. Even if Nepgear and Uni came at this point, we would still lose. Another explosen happened. More clones and slaves died. A purple Heart clone flew in the air, and was shot down by a mass of tentacles. Twenty-Eight now..seven...six...Twenty Five clones left.

"You look like you need help" Black Heart suddenly stood next to me. Was a clone taking to me? Have I finally lost it.

"I see you have some fake me's out. I trust you haven't done anything to them?" She looked at me, with faint amusement. Fake you's? I lit up.

"And we have a winner" Black Heart patted me on the back and summoned her claymore "So what's the target, Mina said something about mind controlled citizens and some kind of shrine..."

"The citizens are controlled by the Apocryphic Corruption of that shrine. Lowee's Sharicite is in it" I pointed to the goal that still looked impossible to reach.

"So this Miraak is using the people's shares to control them? He will pay for this" Her voice hardened.

"I think that's a substitute until Miraak can take Blanc himself, which I will never allow" I said, with such emotion, that Black Heart stared at me for a second "Help me take the shrine! Please...but Lowee's Sharicite belongs to Blanc" I looked back. Black Heart smiled knowingly.

She took out a cellular device and gave the command.

"All Lastation soldiers, commence attack. Kill only the Cultists and the Monsters, the people are non combatants. Air strikes on the shrine in the center of the city are authorized only after the citizens are led away" she closed it, and Purple Heart showed up next to her.

"Have we started the attack yet?" she asked.

"You're late Neptune, but that's nothing new" Black Heart replied "I just sent soldiers into the city"

"Right" Purple Heart said, and took out a circular device. It was a hologram.

"Attention Planeptune soldiers, coordinate attacks with Lastation forces, and wait for air strikes on my command" she hung up.

"Well" Black Heart said "This is your crusade, where to?"

"You said you had air strikes. My question now is, what is the state of your airforces?"

"What do you have in mind?" Purple Heart asked.

"We're going to get nowhere with those Dragons near the shrine, and there isn't enough of us to deal with them all at once. I know they don't stand a chance, hell we might have a snowballs chance ourselves. But we need to keep the dragons busy so the ground forces can get to the shrine" I paused, remembering my book "I can learn a 'shout' that might destroy the corruption, if we can get close enough for me to 'shout' it"

"We'll see what we can do" Black Heart said.

"Just remember what happened in Lastation. I hate to say this Black Heart, as it's not your fault. But we have to try to save as much of the city as we can. Another crippled nation would only hurt us" I looked at Black Heart, and she stared hard at me before nodding. Purple Heart nodded as well.

"We'll remember, _Dragon Slayer_ " she said. I could tell that was a jab at me, but I let it go.

I concentrated on getting the attention of the dragons, or at least one of them. I may not have and Magicka left (and while I'm regaining Magicka every minute, its still not enough to justify HDD or any of Rei's or my powers), but I can still 'shout' (for whatever reason, 'shouting' doesn't take Magicka). A dragon was swinging past me, ready to attack the Lastation and Planeptune forces that have shown up. I 'shouted' Flames at him, and he turned to me.

"Challenger" he shouted in Dov.

"You work for Miraak, now?" I answered.

"I wasn't give a choice" He shouted fire at me, and I dodged it. He swung around and I took this moment to gauge the field. Purple Heart was attacking another dragon, and Black Heart yet another. The allied forces were slowly driving the slaves away from the shrine, but the bulk of the dragons were still by there. If we tried anything, one of them might get hit.

"I command you all to split up, and help Purple and Black Heart" I told my clones, and the clones left the ground forces.

I opened my CPU window, and accessed Pong Cannon. The dragon that faced me went for a turn around before stopping briefly to 'shout' fire. I used Pong cannon.

Boom! The dragon made the mistake of being surprised. He was vaporized. I absorbed his soul (that was three since I absorbed Rei's body).

"Joshua" Purple Sister flew towards me, and Black Sister was right behind her.

"Is Blanc okay?" I asked immediately.

"She's fine, just recovering" Black Sister said "I heard Noire would be here?"

I pointed to the mass of Black Hearts attacking one of the Dragons.

"Right then" and she made to go join her.

"Wait" I said "One of you needs to take me to the shrine" I gestured to the statue of Miraak "And before you tell me to fly there myself, I'm out of energy, and can't transform yet. That shrine contains the Lowee Sharicite, which we need to get back to the Bascilicom, wherever that is"

"It's Lowee Castle" Purple Sister said "I'll take you to the shrine"

"Black Sister!" I stopped her again "You and Purple Sister have to lure the other two dragons away, because after I get the Sharicite, Lastation and Planeptune are going to bomb the hell out of it"

"Won't that destroy a part of the city" Black Sister inputed.

"The Citizens are being lured away, this is our window! If Miraak realizes what we are about to do, he will order the slaves back to the shrine. And no I don't know where he is" I huffed "If what I do destroys the shrine, we can call off the airstrikes-"

BOOM! Planeptune hovercraft lauched missiles at one of the dragons.

Roar! It just succeeded at annoying him-BOOM!

The dragon fell, and a controlled Lastation airstrike was just bombing where he fell.

"They've already started, but I'll be singed! That just might have killed him!" I commented "We don't have much time, please take me to the shrine!"

Purple sister grabbed me by the arms and gave me a back hug...her breasts are behind me...I slapped myself.

"Something wrong?" Purple Sister asked.

"I don't have the guts to tell you what's wrong" I said as she dropped me off. (One they fear finally stopped playing, and all seemed quiet). I looked behind me, and Purple Sister was already off to do what I asked. I turned to face the shrine. Miraak in all his glory, with a Dragon's decapitated head in his hands.

"The sharicite is in the jaws of the dragon!" I said as I felt the share energy. I took the sharicite, and wrapped it in a cloth (so as to not injure or draw on it) and put it in my inventory. Suddenly Miraak was standing right next to me.

"You don't have the heart to use that power yourself" he commented. I looked at him, and saw that I could see right through him, so he's using that power of his.

"You don't have the balls to come here yourself" I retorted. The battlefield was quiet, despite the obvious fighting. Like the shrine was protected from outside influence.

"The air strike will never work against this shrine, Joshua, you know that" Miraak boasted "I told you to leave or die, I made it clear that I didn't want your interference"

"You started with Blanc" I said "that was a mistake"

"You would have said that about any of the bitches I chose" Miraak waved a hand noncommittally.

"You messed with someone very dear to me"

"Really?" he looked at me "You have feelings for one of these wenches. You do not see the world as I see it Joshua. Practicality makes them naught but stones, from which I could control the masses"

"I understood immediately your plans for the 'goddesses'" I countered

"I knew you would. You have knowledge that I am impressed by. Few understand the struggle as I do, the overwhelming disappointment. I was a Dragon in all but body, and as powerful as I was, the ' _masters_ ' I served thought that wasn't enough. Not until I found the means to prove otherwise" he sighed.

"You went about things the wrong way" I said "Your pride was your fall Miraak, and you have no one to blame but yourself"

"You sit there and criticize me, but you made similar mistakes. At least I wasn't naïve. Blanc you said her name was, do you even know if she'll respond to your bouts of love! Or will she look down on you in disgust, the way the dragons did me?!" Miraak shook his head "You have much to learn, though you know much already"

I shook my head, I was already one up on him, for I saw my daughter, and fought with her. She's coming...that's what'll keep me going. Blanc's relief at my return to Lowee, just a little while ago. Miraak never had such knowledge. I pity him.

"It doesn't matter, I suppose. I heard about your battle with Hermaeus Mora" Miraak breathed through his mask, almost jovially "If only I could have seen it, I heard his anger was great, and Mora never gets angry. But if you could not even scratch him, what hope do you have at beating me? Take the shrine, and the city for all I care, for when next we meet. Your bones will lay at my feat" And he 'shouted' which stopped time for a minute.

Everyone looked at us then, Lowee didn't have many skyscrapers, so it was rather easy.

"KRUZIIKREL, ZII LOS DII DU!" And one of the dragons fell.

"RELONIKIV, ZII LOS DII DU!" Another fell thereafter.

"You have no idea of the true power a Dragonborn can wield!" Miraak told the world as he absorbed both souls "Do you know if it hurts, having your soul ripped out like that?"

He aimed that question to me.

"Bastard" I said under my breath.

"Of course you do, and that's why you hide behind one of those bitches. Because you only have half your soul"

I forgot he's not physically there, and I tried to punch him, and fell right through.

"I always knew you are weak-minded, Sahrotaar." he aimed that at the dragon that was killed by the air strikes.

"SAHROTAAR, ZII LOS DII DU!" and he absorbed his soul.

"I grow ever stronger, Joshua. Be sure you give me a good fight when you come to die" He regarded me, before killing and absorbing the last dragon "I should have never sent them. Six failed me, failed to do a simple command"

Miraak scanned the battlefield.

"It would be easy to bend their wills right now, your precious CPUs. Your lucky I'm not really here at the moment" He looked at me "When you despair at Blanc's rejection of you, and she will, I think, you'll remember me"

"Say it to the whole world for all I care" I yelled back as I got up.

"They would have known soon enough, regardless of my speech. This freezing time thing doesn't work on you I see. I suppose it's the way the 'shout' is worded. Leave it up to Alduin to not think things throughly" Miraak laughed then "Kill my little surprise in the shrine, and the 'shout' will end. Time will unfreeze. Until then _Challenger_ " And Miraak disappeared.

I got up and readied myself, as the statue broke, and (more epic music started playing, I swear) the biggest Lurker type thing appeared, with a giant war hammer to boot. Two actual Lurkers spawned side by side the creature, and they all charged me.

It's going to be one hell of a fight.


	28. Chapter 28

Even without Magicka, the Lurkers weren't hard to kill. But this behemoth! I narrowly dodged getting crushed by its war hammer, as I try to find a way to kill it. It seems to respond more to physical attacks than power attacks, but I can't whack him forever with my staff. Against such a thing, its just a stick. There will be no intervention by any of the other CPU's because time stopped in this city for everyone but me. And I just realized I couldn't leave the field to boot (that little shield type thing that stopped me from hearing the battle. But unfortunately that's only one way).

Rawrr! It shrieked. The only saving grace is that it looks like a Daedra, so it was possibly summoned, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember how Rei Ryghts banished that Frost Atronach. Not like it would help me anyway, considering I have no power... power! That's it!That Lurker thing might not respond to my magic attacks, but what's to say it won't respond to another Atronach.

I looked through my inventory, and came across a scroll that I haven't even thought of until now. Miraak might have stopped time, but who's to say that it works on everything that enters an area. Please work!

"Try this!" I shouted. And I used my Storm Atronach scroll. It screamed and immediately started attacking the behemoth. My Atronach was kicking butt. I used my staff as well, but the Storm Atronach was doing the most damage.

"I am definitely taking a week off after this, to regain my Magicka. I'm useless without it" I said absentmindedly as the Storm Atronach attacked the Behemoth. When it looked like the Atronach would win, it disappeared.

"Aww come on, I thought that was only game logic!" None of the Frost Atronachs disappeared. The Behemoth regained itself and charged me. I'm keeping my other scrolls for later emergencies. Except for this fireball. I took it out of my inventory and waited. When it looked like it was going to kill me I used it, and it died.

"Seriously" I said as it fell on its face "A fireball? You mean that actually worked?" I never get that lucky.

I looked out and saw time moving again, except everyone suddenly halted. There was an explosion and I flew into a Cultist. I looked at the shrine, and only rubble remained. Good.

I incapacitated the Cultist, and watched as the remaining Cultist forces were driven off or captured or killed. The whole thing was over in an hour. I collapsed, suddenly, after I knew the battle was over, spent. I didn't get knocked out though, I just fell asleep. I talked with Rei Ryghts for a while, and that helped rejuvenate me a little. When I woke up, it was dark. Nepgear was speaking to me, but I didn't hear the first time, and almost went back to sleep

"Joshua!" She yelled.

"I'm up" I sat up.

"Thank Goodness. I thought we would have to carry you" Not if I had anything to say about it...although I always woke up in a girls room after being knocked out, so how did I get there.

"Joshua, stay with me" She said, alarmed.

"I'm alright" I got up, and was surprised when I didn't fall, apparently that was Nepgear's fear as well.

"Come on" she said "Everyone's at the Castle"

"Are they waiting for me too" I said.

"Well yeah, you're the guest of Honor" Nepgear replied.

"I don't think I deserve that much credit" I inputed.

"You're just being modest" Nepgear took my hand and dashed through the streets.

"Hey, you do know what this looks like?!" I said "And could you please slow down, I can't run that fast right now"

"Don't worry, Blanc asked me to do this, and I know you can run faster than these speeds" Nepgear huffed.

"That was before I almost died, Nepgear" I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't back down.

We finally reached the Castle and the guards snapped to attention, as we zoomed past them. Nepgear didn't stop.

"Umm, were here, you can stop now" I said as Nepgear ran through the halls. She didn't appear to here me.

"You can stop now Nepgear, really we're already here" she still couldn't hear me.

We zoomed down the halls, until we went into a massive room, like a ball room. I wasn't dressed for this but that didn't matter-ah!.

I tripped and Nepgear let go, as she tripped and landed into someone. I think it was Neptune.

I fell flat on my face, and rolled a few times, before landing again on my face. Any small talk that was in the room ended at this scene. I didn't have the wherewithal to be embarrassed so I just brushed it off nonchalantly.

"Hey Nepgear" I said through the floor.

"Yes Joshua?" she answered timidly.

"So we understand each other in the future, I hate the taste of floor"

"Yes Joshua" she said, in a small voice.

"You could have stopped once we reached the castle. Didn't your mothe-ah Neptune teach you not to run down hallways like a mad woman?"

"I wish she did Joshua" Nepgear replied.

"I see" I said, as I got up. I almost fell on the ground again. For a second, I thought I was looking at Aurora, but her hair is longer and half pink, half blue. The woman in front of me has short hair, blue colored like Rom's with strands coming down in front. She was swinging an Axe, like that Axe was nothing more than a stick. The Axe disappeared.

"What the hell are you looking at, huh?" she regarded me for a second, before smiling "You better like what you see, dunce cap, or we'll have problems" she stopped hovering as I regained my composure.

"White Heart" I said, like that was the only thing in the world "You're alright"

"Of course I'm all right, what shit-head told you I wasn't?" White Heart held out her hand, and I took it, and her and hugged her right then and there.

"I don't care if Miraak is right, and you hate me" I said and I held on to her, to the shock of the whole room "I wanted to do this since I first saw you" I sat there with her in my arms, waiting like a mad man for her to return it. And she finally did, and it was the greatest feeling in the world.

"That asshole's a liar, and you make sure he knows it" She said...and she kissed me, full in the mouth. That lasted forever, and would have lasted longer if Neptune didn't say something stupid.

"Are you just going to glue yourselves like that forever, or are we going to start this party?" she said, filling up a glass of...pudding?

White Heart sighed and extracted herself.

"You are an ass Neptune" she remarked, and deactivated HDD "There, you happy now?"

"Well this is supposed to be a party, I didn't know it was a wedding or whatever" Neptune said, as she ate her pudding.

Blanc sighed, and lit up as the twins went to her. I never got to hear what was said because Noire approached me.

"That didn't take long" she replied "I only stayed here for that by the way. I honestly thought she would kill you"

"You wanted that to happen?" she blinked.

"No stupid, I just thought that would happen that's all. You don't know Blanc like I do, and no one else in the world would have tried to pull a stunt like that. Especially with all of Lowee's nobility present" Noire brushed her hair back as I took in the scene. There was a lot more people here than I originally thought and not all of them are happy.

"Wow, I didn't know there was an aristocracy here" I mentioned.

"Oh yeah. All the nations have them, but in mine and Neptune's case they are wealthy businessmen. And you have just broken an unspoken rule. We've been alive for...awhile let's just say. And in all that time, as much as many have tried, no one has ever done what you did. Not even close. If anyone else tried, like I said, they would have died"

"You mean to tell me that no one has ever been in a relationship with any of you?" I was honestly surprised.

"I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Uni told me some things herself from the time you all went to Apothecary"

"It's Apocrypha" I said.

"Whatever, you're just as much a virgin as we are, so you have no room to talk" She glared at me.

I am seriously going to have a talk with Uni later, there are some things she should have kept to herself and I shouldn't have to tell her what those are.

I pondered things while Noire left for whatever reason. Say what she wants, I know she wanted a break. The party lasted for hours, but the people in the room, seemingly on purpose, kept Blanc and myself apart. And it really looked like she wanted to talk to me as much as I wanted to talk to her. Which was to say, a lot. Eventually, it ended, and the guests that were staying, were all shone to the guest chambers. I was deliberately left out, and it never dawned on me that I was going to be shown to my room, or that I would have a permanent spot in the castle. By that time it was told to me that Blanc and the twins had already retired.

"This way" Financier said, briskly. I followed her to a part of the castle that I was familiar with, but not in a room that I had ever seen before. All I knew was that this was the same wing as Blanc and the twins. I felt honored honestly.

"Here you are then" she turned to leave

"Wait" I said "I need to talk to Blanc-"

"The Lady has already retired for the night" Financier went to close the door.

"Then Mina will do, can you get her for me, its important"

"What could be so important, that you want me to wake the two most important persons of Lowee?" Financier was close to yelling, and I knew that a portion could hear her. This was deliberate, she hated me.

I huffed "This is" and I took the Sharicite out of my inventory and showed her.

She gasped, shocked that I would have it.

"That was assumed destroyed or stolen" she said.

"I said I'd get it back, or did you hate me that much that you'd forgotten" I blurted, before I could stop myself "I'm sorry that was uncalled for"

"I'll get Mina, wait here" Financier hurried away. I sighed, and I heard a door creak shut. I turned, it was the opposite of Financier's path. Someone was eavesdropping.

Mina came a few minutes later, with a very apologetic Financier. They were both happy to have it back and they told me such.

Finally I got in my bed, and went to sleep. Rei was just as tired, so she didn't say much to me, and welcomed the sleep. Half way through the night, I felt really rejuvenated, like a huge portion of my power was restored. I almost woke up...almost ruined it, but I didn't. I was content...and I was in love.


	29. Chapter 29

I woke up, and it was morning. Well it was early morning, anyway. I sat there for a few minutes, remembering yesterday...that kiss made up for all the craziness that's happened to me since I got to this crazy world. The only downside to the bliss I was feeling was the knowledge that Miraak was doing some evil here. I sighed; Miraak, Alduin, Hermaeus Mora. I never thought they'd be real for one, or that they'd even want me dead. But I had friends...Neptune was one I think. Noire definitely likes me as a friend. Nepgear was the one who signed up for my friendship, and is my future sister to boot. The twins...want to see Aurora I suppose; maybe they think of me as a friend. Uni is Uni. And Blanc...

"Ahhhh!" I heard a scream from somewhere close by, sounded like Financier. That was when I felt a little heavier.

"Stop screamin..." I heard that real close like. I peered down my chest, and there was a woman in my bed. It looked like Blanc, yes Blanc is in my bed...Wait a minute!

I shot up so fast, that she cried in surprise, and the shifting weight was enough to drag me out of bed.

"Ummmph" I said as I landed on top of her, and that was when my door burst open.

"Lady Blanc's gone! She's gone-" Financier looked at me for a second, and saw Blanc right underneath me, both of us were on the floor. I just stared right at her, and she stared at me back...surprise first...then the anger creeps in and...wait for it...

"You pervert! You little lust addled, pig brained, pervert" Financier went closer to me, as she attempted to yank me up.

"As if kissing the Lady of Lowee wasn't enough, you want her virtue too! I should call the guards-" she tried picking me up, but Blanc grabbed my shirt ( I was too tired to get out of my clothes, that are apparently magical enough to not need washing, except that time when I was covered in slime. Honestly my CPU body didn't need a shower ever, some magic perk I suppose, and I only washed myself once since getting here).

"Get up now!" Financier exclaimed. And Financier and Blanc both started a tug of war match with me in the middle (Financier thinking that I was defying her still) until my clothes started tearing.

"That's enough Miss Chamberlain" Blanc said definitively.

"But my Lady-"

"No buts. You can leave now, I am quite awake" Blanc pushed me up gently and got up herself. I noticed that she had only a night gown on, and quickly averted my eyes.

"Yes ma'am" Financier hurried out, almost in tears. I felt sorry for her.

"I am sorry about that, but I wanted to tease her a bit before she left" Blanc looked at me, and I looked back.

"Yes well now she thinks worse of me, and for whatever reason I don't want her on my bad side" I looked uncomfortable, partly because I wanted to stare, and partly because I didn't want to get Blanc mad.

"She'll get over it, you don't worry about that. Now I will say good morning" and she smiled at me "Then I'll go and change for breakfast. Honestly, if you try not to stare at me any longer, you just might turn into a radish"

I felt really guilty, but she did come and sleep on top of me...I blinked and she had already left. I suppose she was embarrassed as well. I went to see about fixing my shirt and smelled her on me...and I don't know if that's perverted or not, but I liked it. I decided it didn't matter, as it was a small rip, and I wanted to get out of the room (mostly because I wanted to keep the...never mind).

She talked about breakfast, but for the life of me, I wouldn't know where the dining hall is. If memory serves me right, I would have already seen it when I saw the future. I honestly don't know if I ever want to see the hall anymore, that memory wasn't exactly the best one I remember (except for the part where I learn I get a family).

The castle was cool I tell you, and not just because it was cold, it was an awesome place to live. You'd think I would be somewhat used to it by now, but considering my last two visits were rushed and traumatic in some way (especially the way Nepgear was running) I really didn't get time to appreciate the architecture and the quiet. Plus I could actually say I was in a Versailles-like building. The only discrepancy was the lack of Lowee guards in the castle, when they were prominent before we went to Apocrypha. Granted Lowee was taken over a day ago, and we just got it back...how long have I even been here. I never got to ask how long Apocrypha took us. I guess I'll find out today.

I was absentmindedly thinking and...I have no idea where I am. Without guards, how can I find my way again? This wasn't good. I started running through the halls, looking for anything familiar. No cigar on that. Damn it, I thought castles were supposed to be souped up mansions, meant for defense. This is going to be embarrassing if I don't find my way back. Given that I don't know where the dining hall is, and I am assuming that Blanc was going to eat in the dining hall, they would have realized I went missing, perhaps now actually. If the girls found out that I got myself lost, I don't think they would let me live this down. Oh boy, I have to get back.

As I was thinking such things, I happened to stumble upon a huge room. Of course, being the person that I am, I don't realize what it really is. Mind you, I never opened up any doors, so this was wide open. To top it off there wasn't anyone standing guard near by to tell me otherwise. To tell you the honest truth, the room was empty, but it acted as a vent for something that wasn't. And I realized too late what that was. Consider this, a person who is used to the simpler side of life doesn't realize that the rich or those well off have big bathrooms or wash areas. Nor do they consider that in a European looking castle, there would be a Japanese style bath (please don't ask me how I know these things).

The first clue to my stupidity and how to avoid it was Neptune's unusual laugh. She really is a funny idiot, whose HDD form is cute (not dissing Blanc here, mind you). Why in an empty room of crazy proportions, do I here her laugh of all things. Soon I start hearing Noire's, Uni's, Nepgear's, Blanc's and even the twins voices. Normally that would signal insanity, because there was no one and nothing in this room. But given Rei Ryghts lives within me, that's actually kind of sane. As I ponder the craziness of it all, my feet finally give way. Who knew that part of the floor was actually an invisible vent for the huge warm bath-splash.

"Aww what is this" I cried before anyone or anything could actually tell me I wasn't alone "Why in the crazy world of dragons and magic is the floor an insubstantial illusion! First I am greeted as a pervert by the house caretaker or whatever she is, then I get lost. No guards are around to tell me to go back to some part of the castle with people in it, oh no I can't get a break for one second. Then I fall through a damn invisible hole in the ground that obviously doesn't say 'Warning Joshua. Any attempt to go past this point will make you fall into a hole of very stupid proportions into who knows what this place is even for'. Next they'll tell me that I've fallen through a trap from which there's no going back from, and I will be pummeled to death by an angry mob!"

I stared up to the ceiling and spread my arms unaware that a bunch of people are currently looking at me.

"Ohh that's great! It's not invisible from down here! Who in the right mind would design a flaw that big!" I seriously continued this tirade despite the shocked people that I was still unaware of "Jacob is going to laugh himself to death if he ever figures out that this happened to me. Why? Why is this even here?" I finally looked around and wished that I didn't. I just fell into a bathtub with a bunch of shocked naked women about to be angry that I just looked at them naked. All the CPU's I've met so far, plus Mina and Financier to boot. I guess they were too shocked to scream at me.

I looked up to the ceiling again, as the shock started wearing off.

"Umm Nepgear?" I asked timidly

"Yes Joshua" she said upset.

"I'm dead aren't I?" I stared up the ceiling embarrassed.

"Yes Joshua" she said, angrily.

"And there's no way I can explain myself?" I hoped beyond hope, especially for Blanc.

"No Joshua" she was very angry, I'm sure they all were. I saw flashing light, as they all transformed in sync, and shouts were heard as I blacked out.

I woke up in the ball room, at least I think it was the ball room. I looked around. They were all dressed (thankfully) and talking.

"I think it's safe to say it was an accident" Nepgear pronounced to the group.

"Where are you getting this accident stuff from. My understanding of it has you going HDD first, ready to kill Nepgear" Noire said, clearly still pissed, but I can't tell if it was at me or something else.

"There's still the matter of him seeing _all_ of us, Nepgear" Uni said.

"What's there to see Uni? You and Blanc are as flat as ironing boards!" Neptune said in her nonchalant funny voice.

"Who you callin' flat Neptune. I wouldn't be talkin if I were you, as you can see you don't have much yourself" Blanc put it pissed like.

"Yeah but I can always do this" and she transforms.

"As you can see Blanc, I am well situated" Purple Heart boasted.

"I'll freaken' kill you, you dumb broad!" Blanc was serious.

"Now is not the time Blanc, can we please get back to the matter at hand" Noire said.

"When Purple bitch comes back to normal" answered Blanc, ready for a fight.

" (sigh) Come on Neptune, as if your maturity level can't get any lower, please untransform" Noire was annoyed.

"Fine, I concede, but I still say I won" and Purple Heart untransforms.

"Now about Joshua-" Noire tried again.

"I know we were all like bam, to him, but honestly that hole was a one way see-thing. Anyone could've made that mistake" Neptune said.

"Indeed, I went up there myself and saw that he was telling the truth. And he did babel like no one was there, so it's possible he was telling the truth about not knowing we were down there" I do not 'babel' Nepgear.

"As I was saying-" Noire was interrupted again.

"He saw us Nepgear, what part of that do you not understand. And what about Mina, and Financier. Last I saw she was still crying. He could go public and boast that he did see us, after all, it is known that he associates with us, and he did that whole crazy thing with Blanc in front of everyone. Pervert" Uni added, like she couldn't help it.

"Could you not interrupt Uni, please!" Noire said.

"Sorry sis" no your not.

"Now I have an-"

"I'll fight him" Blanc said.

"What!" the others exclaimed

"I'll fight him. All of you here has fought him already. We talked about that in the baths" Blanc said.

"We didn't fight him" Ram said, finally interested in the talking

"Yeah, we just knocked him out" Rom inputed.

"You two are not going to fight him ever. Is that understood" Blanc said, sternly.

"But-"

"No." Blanc said, and regarded the others "I'll fight him, and if he wins, I'll forgive him, and forget this ever happened"

"You just want to forgive him" Noire said "Fell in love have you?"

"What-I-that has nothing to do with this" Blanc spouted incredulously (she never denied it, there's hope for me yet)

"Yeah Blanc, I hate to say this, but after our fight, and what he did to Noire, you're just giving it away" Neptune said.

"He 'shouted' her to the ground" Rom said with admiration.

"He told her to surrender, and commanded her!" Ram jumped with glee.

"He didn't command me-" Noire tried again.

"He faced a dragon by himself and killed it" Nepgear said "And vaporized...two more was it?"

"Yes" Uni said, resigned.

"So you're all weak" Blanc said "That doesn't mean I'll be a pushover"

"You know, I was going to speak against it as well, but go, have at it. And when he wins, don't come crying to us" Noire turned her head.

"Just because you forgive him, doesn't mean I will" Uni said "And it's your funeral, Blanc"

"Joshua? Can you wake up" Blanc called over, and I'm not even going to try to fake sleeping, let alone try to talk some sense into her...or them period.

"I'm awake" I said. Blanc smiled, before remembering to be pissed.

"You will fight me here in this room. If you win, I'll forgive you for sneaking up on us and seeing all of us naked. If you lose" she looked sad for the briefest of seconds "Lowee will have-I can't" she shook her head "It'll be bad, and I'm going all out on you. Prepare yourself" She transformed and brandished her axe. I took this moment to study her form, and judge what I was going to do. After a second, it looked like they were going to call me pervert, until they realized that despite my...feelings for Blanc, I was thinking from a fighters' perspective.

And I went HDD. I flexed my hand, the feel of it was still a bit tiring (not all of my magicka returned yet) but I ignored it. I willed myself appropriately. Rei wasn't going to appear in this battle.

"You think you're ready White Heart?" my voice was commanding, but it was my own "Despite myself, I think I will enjoy this. All will be forgiven then"

I looked at the others.

"Anyone who has a problem with me about the 'naked' thing can face me in battle. If you decline, I'll consider all debts paid on the matter" They looked fidgety, like that was a crappy option.

"You can't do that" Uni said "It's up to a Lady to forgive a transgression like that"

"Then by all means, fight me. How else will I get you to forgive me?" Noire clamped her mouth shut, and Uni just glared at her. I turned to my opponent.

"Your move" I said.

And White Heart attacked, the battle had just begun.


	30. Chapter 30

White Heart swung her axe, which I easily dodged and tried to hit her with my staff. She parried and swung vertically, which I dodged to the left. I jabbed at her side, and she dodged, just to swing her axe at my staff. My staff almost flew out of my hand, and as it was the ricochet was bad. White Heart shot ice from her palm, and I bashed it with my hand as I pushed her in her chest-soft. She jumped backwards and positioned her axe to do an attack.

"Zerstorung" she lunged. And I was so surprised she hit me. What was that attack? She wasted no time.

"Einschlag" I finally dodged that one and she tried another attack "Gefahrlich Stern"

I somehow dodged that last one which was projectiles. I then used my palm and shot energy blasts at her, she got hit.

"Ich kann es zu sprechen" yeah, I know a little German myself (courtesy of my Austrian grandmother, who could also speak it). She looked surprised herself, and laughed a little.

"So you can speak a language, big deal" she readied her axe "get your pansy ass over here so I can whip you butt"

I charged her, and she swung her axe.

"Lanzert Figaton" she almost got me, I parried with my staff, and pushed her in her chest again. That time she got pissed.

"Stop freaken touching me there per-" I bashed her with my staff, and pushed her back with an energy attack. She got up, and lunged, ready to kill. I parried her axe head on and hit her with another energy attack. She recovered and punched me in the gut, and threw ice at my face, as I fell. I barrel rolled, and jumped back up, lunging, with my staff like a spear. She tried parrying and missed, and I hit her in the stomach, her red eyes widening in pain as she gagged. I used that time to knee her in the shoulder, and kick her in the butt, as she spun in the air. Needless to say she fell to the ground. She staggered up.

"I'll get you back, you little shit!" she clutched her stomach. I flicked my gaze at the others, their faces resigned, and a bit angry. I sighed, and it hit me how bad I must have hurt Blanc...I hurt her.

"I want you to forgive me" I blurted, as she readied herself, her angry pained face showing no quarter.

"I told you, you have to beat me first, asshole" she looked pained as she said it, but nevertheless she charged, her axe forward. I marveled at how she could swing that thing with ease and control, despite her height and stature. She swung and I dodged barely as she threw ice attacks at me.

"Hail storm" she shouted and the room became like a blizzard, with ice chunks flying around. She directed it towards me. I stood there, as the ice and snow went everywhere, White Heart stared at me, and I at her, as I felt her ice, her anger, trepidation, and fear...fear at what? She kept it going as she readied her axe.

"Was sind Sie von afaraid?" I asked, and she stopped, briefly before answering.

"Verlieren Sie Ihre Liebe" she said, eyes blazing, and charged.

We parried, as ice and snow flew everywhere, each going back and forth. I gained ground, and she lost it. Then she would gain ground, and I would lose it. I punched, she grabbed, and we both ended up on the ground. Our wings disappeared as we grappled each other. She threw me and jumped on top, and went to punch me, and got the floor instead. I tackled her over, and went to pin her, and a stray bit of ice hit my head. She slapped me in the face, and flipped us over, her blue hair tickled my nose. I grabbed it, and yanked it toward me, her face inches from mine as I looked her in the eyes, HDD to HDD. She got me in the gut, and flipped me over, positioning herself to pin my arms with her hands.

"This is it!" she said, thinking she won, and I stared at her, looking at her beautiful cruel face. I had to use it,

"FUS RO DAH" I 'shouted' and flung her back, ending the hail storm.

"Damn it White Heart, I didn't want to do this" I yelled and 'shouted' unrelenting force again.

She was blasted into the others, and go up, summoning her axe.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY" I yelled at the others. Uni and Nepgear picked up the twins and ran, followed by Noire and Neptune, frantic to not get stuck in the 'shout'.

White Heart charged and I 'shouted' again. She got up, and I 'shouted' again (unrelenting force). She staggered up, and summoned her axe again. I 'shouted' and she flew to the wall. She got up, almost brokenly. I was crying at this point.

"Please stop fighting" I almost sobbed at the pain I must have called. She looked at the others, and back at me, battered but defiant.

"I-I pinned you!" she screamed "This was my win" and she charged. I 'shouted', and she narrowly dodged it, and I 'shouted' again.

"Say you lost" tears were streaking on her face now, it must have hurt a lot, for her and Noire.

"Not-not yet" she tried again to charge me, and this time I did nothing. She got to me and lost momentum, and I parried her strike by summoning my staff, as weak as it was. I grabbed her and held her tight, for the second time in my life, and this time she struggled a bit.

"Get off m-me" she said weakly, still in HDD.

"I want you to say you lost" I said clearly "I will not abide the alternative. I went to Apocrypha and back for you! I fought dragons, and many henchmen for the chance to talk to you. I screwed up" I said, and that was to everyone "And I fell into a hole I'm still trying to get out of" She looked at me, anger seeped in there, but also other things, pride...remorse...embarrassment.

"I know why you really wanted to fight me" I said, having known this since their conversation just before this fight "But I also know the cost you put up, especially for losing. I fought Purple Heart, and Black Heart, the intent was to end it fast, and I had a power you all don't. So I beat them, at least I beat Black Heart" I gazed at her as I talked, and I began to move slowly, closer to the others, hovering in the air. She looked at me, a defiant expression in that hard earned gaze.

"They eventually had a way out, when I was knocked out by their sisters, but I believe I would have stopped their fighting anyway. Rei Makes me powerful, she was stronger than all of you, and combined you still were hard pressed to beat her. That is what you're facing, and I will say this: I WON'T LOSE TO YOU, NOT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BEAT ME BUT BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE SAID" I softened my voice as we got nearer to them, White Heart still in my arms "I'll beat every last thing that threatens you, but if you refuse to forgive me and banish me from this place, I will give up. It has only been a few days since I got here, and much less since I met you, but I cannot continue unless you're with me. Call me crazy but I love you. These bastards that threaten us are worse than you and I have truly faced, but I will beat them for you. I will do whatever it takes to stay with you for the rest of my life. And I don't care what anyone says about the time being to small for these truths about my love to surface, but it's not just little feelings that flick away at a moments notice. So I say again, White Heart, SAY YOU LOST TO ME!" I looked at her, and her anger had melted away at my words.

"You're an asshole" she said as she kissed me again, deactivating her HDD.

"I lose, congrats" Blanc said, tears in her eyes. I was glad for those words.

I stood her up, and held on while she gained her balance. Then I looked at the wet ballroom, and my friends, and vowed within myself that Alduin will die by my hand, not because of a challenge, not because of the things he's done, but because of Blanc, and all of them.

We went to the dining hall in silence, and as awkward as it was, I was occupied now with my next move. If I'm going to do this, I need to find Miraak, and eventually Alduin.

When Blanc and the others sat down, and were joined by Mina and Financier, I began.

"What I need now, from all of you is information. How long was the whole Apocrypha incident? How much of Lowee is free of Cultists attacks? Lastation and Planepune? Any attacks from dragons at all, or cultists? And any information on the state of Leanbox, as I just remembered it's also a nation" I waited for their response.

"Apocrypha?" Mina looked worried.

"Well-" Nepgear cut herself off.

"Um, I didn't want to tell you..." Uni said, squirming.

"We lost contact with you after I sent for the carriage" Noire said "And that was a week ago"

I paled, what...what changed? A week was all Miraak needed to take a nation.

"Six days" I said, faintly "Six days because of that bastard. Six days because..." I would not say Mora's name. That would also mean I've been here for two weeks. Fourteen days ago Alduin brought me here. I shook myself.

"Much different than the game, but nothing I can't worry about now" I nodded.

"Well we took the city almost two days ago" Neptune said.

"It was two day, dufus" Noire replied "And pockets of them were all over Lowee, but-"

"I ordered soldiers to check every village, and town" Blanc said "And sent the rest to Leanbox"

"We did as well" Neptune said "At least we sent them to Leanbox"  
"Lady Vert indicated she could handle them with all our forces combined, and asked us to get some rest before joining her" Mina said "That means Lady Blanc is staying here until she fully recuperates. I'm not happy about your fight mister" she looked at me.

"As for my nation" Noire smiled solemnly "It's not really high on their list"

"And after what happened in Planeptune, with you and that kickass fight, No one's bothered to attack it" Neptune said, happily "Of course I left some troops there just to be safe"

"That's because no one wants your place Neptune" Noire said, sternly "Anyway, Lastation's intel suggests the enemy is concentrated in Leanbox, now that they've been driven out of Lowee-"

"And wouldn't that take them into Planeptune's path?" I asked, remembering the Map of Gameindustri.

"As Noire put so kindly, no one wants Planeptune" Blanc said.

"Hey, my nation's not so bad" Neptune pouted.

"I did" I said, before I could stop myself. I covered my mouth then, as everyone stared at me.

"Rei did" I amended, hurriedly.

"No she wanted it destroyed" Noire encouraged, trying to ignore my comment.

"She wanted Gameindustri destroyed" Blanc said, also trying to ignore that comment.

"That wouldn't make any sense" I said "Miraak wants all of you, so he would try to take that city, to lure Neptune out...unless" I thought about it.

"No one's listening to me" Neptune said, sadly.

"Miraak's going to be in Leanbox, and it doesn't matter how strong Vert thinks she is. If he gets his hands on her, he'll bend her to his will" I tried to keep a straight face as I said that, I inadvertently made that sexual.

"Pervert" Uni said. I sighed.

"I didn't mean it like that! The dragons you saw earlier, some of those were Alduin's. He bent their wills and he will do the same to you, if given the chance"

"Why does he want us so much?" Blanc asked.

"I'll tell you" I said, resigned.


	31. Chapter 31

"The All-Maker stones were a religious symbol for Solstheim. The Skaal, as they later were called, worshipped a thing they called the All-Maker. Some historians of Tamrielic lore believed that Miraak may have tricked the population into believing in him, but that's not the point. The point is that Miraak used the stones, and corrupted them, and when the Skaal went to use them, they were entrapped by Miraak's power. He doesn't have that ability here, and so he needed to improvise. You four are the stones of Gameindustri, just as the six All-Maker stones were on Solstheim" I pointed at the four CPU's.

"And that's where the share energy comes in" Noire said.

"Correct, and Miraak would just love to bend your wills, it would save him a lot of trouble. Remember he is still a Dragon Priest, and can use that power like Mashtalk, to obtain life and energy and power to rival the Dragons, and now you and me" I told them.

"Then we have no time to waste" Nepgear inputted "We have to get to Leanbox!"

"I would be my choice as well" I said "If Miraak is there, like I think he is, his goal would be to take Vert like a Dragon. She would be an incredible boost to his power as a CPU"

"No" Mina said "You go if you want, BUT. LADY. BLANC. STAYS" Blanc sighed.

"I'll take Nepgear and Uni, if you want to come" I asked her.

"Whoa hold on there, mister" Neptune said "I haven't seen my sis in a while, she's staying too"

"And Uni can come when I'm ready" Noire stood up.

"Neptune" Nepgear started to complain.

"Fine, you are right of course. You can all stay, he won't use you then. I'll go myself" I got up.

"You need to rest as well! Especially after what we-" Blanc was cut off.

"He's too powerful already and if I have to kill Vert, I'm sure you wouldn't want to see it. Besides" I looked at Neptune and Noire when I said this "I'm the _Dragon Slayer_ " I moved to go out of the room.

"Be safe" Rom said.

"Don't die" Ram said.

 _For Aurora_ I thought.

I called a Tauri shuttle, and waited for it's arrival. No one went to visit me in the meantime. I closed my eyes.

"It's necessary" Rei said.

"What is?" I asked.

"The need to leave them, and fight this Miraak o-on our own. It's necessary"

"You think we're immune?"

"There are things about myself, a-and you now, t-that not even I have a grasp on yet" Rei said "But if he could bend our will, you'd think he would have done it by now, if we truly are the best chance at beating him"

"I know that you're capable at making clones of all the CPU's and have them just as strong, and that you're HDD form is powerful, even among CPUs" I said.

"There's more" she said sadly "And the power comes at a price"

"Your sanity and my own" I said.

"So you truly love her?" she asked.

"I do, does that bother you?" I replied.

"How can it? I-it's not like I can change it, and I saw what you saw. You and I will be there for all of it, together..."

"After he falls" I said. Alduin will fall.

The phone rang.

"It's me" I said "I'll be out soon" I walked out of the entrance to Lowee castle. The shuttle touched down.

"Lady Noire told us to accommodate you if you need anything sir!" The co-pilot said.

"Good then, take me to Leanbox" I got in the shuttle, and looked at the castle. No one waved or said goodbye, there was no one out here. I sighed.

The shuttle moved off. The ride to Leanbox was full of tension, we looked all over for signs of battle, because I was informed that the battle went hard on Leanbox. After a few hours we arrived at the ocean.

"You didn't tell me Leanbox was on an island" I told the pilots.

"Lady Noire informed me that you had a grasp at the geography" one said.

"Okay and what are those?" I pointed at the two other cities on the islands closest to the Nation of Leanbox.

"Unlike the other nations, Leanbox has satelite cities that help support it. Its two surrounding cities are Hero City and Gargan City" the other said.

"It looks like Gargan City needs help" The first one said.

"But mainland Leanbox looks to be good" I pointed out.

"Lady Green Heart pushed the Cultists out of her city, and now we're attempting to take the captured cities. Look at that incredible naval battle!" the second one shouted.

"That's Hero City right?" I asked.

"Indeed Lord Joshua, that's Hero City"

"Drop the title" I said.

"Yes Sir!" they answered.

"That's a Dragon!" I pointed "You have any explosives?"

"Jammed packed sir, in the back"

I went to hook up some fire power. Better to save my strength for later battles. I took a Javelin, and opened up the side door. The air pressure went crazy.

"Drop us down" I shouted, and aimed my missile. And fired it. The dragon was hit, and went down. I prepared my Javelin and took aim again. It 'shouted' fire, which I took on with my HDD shield, sparing the scared pilots.

"Focus on driving and operate the forward fire power!" I said.

"SIR!" they replied and the cannons were being used.

I shot another missile, and barely missed. We swung over for another pass and the dragon took to the air again.

I reloaded my Javelin and took aim. The shuttle's forward cannons were firing at the dragon and the surrounding enemies. I fired.

ROARRR! The Dragon fell, and 'shouted' fire. I used my shield again, and 'answered' with Ice Breath. The Shuttle went for another pass, and I reloaded my Javelin. I fired at the dragon, ending it's life.

"Good shooting Sir!" they said.

"I aim to please" I shot back "Take us to the water, it looks like they need us"

"SIR!" They obeyed.

I went and set up a mounted M249 SAW, which I want to point out was a BFG. We were over the water now, and it was easy to tell which ships were Vert's.

"Those green Xbox looking flags are ours right?" I asked.

"Yes they are" Pilot one answered.

"Good" I said and opened fire on the other ships. The forward and backward cannons were operating right now, and it only took a few passes per ship...until we got to the massive one, which was unleashing sky fighters, against an equally monstrous Leanbox flagship (who were also launching fighters).

"Do you want us to engage?" Pilot two asked.

Before I could answer we were hit. BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Eject! Eject now!" I screamed.

"SIR!" they ejected. I hit the water, and blacked out.

"Not an amazing start" I said.

"That was amazing! You took out a dragon with a rocket launcher" Rei was excited "and some battleships besides"

"But I never reached Leanbox! For all we know I could be captured right now" I was disappointed.

"Do you want me to check?" Rei asked.

"No, better not. If we are captured, I want to surprise my captors"

"Y-you don't think I can?" Rei was down about it.

"Not unless you go HDD" I shrugged...wait can I do that? Well it is a dream.

"Maybe you could go check, then" she said.

"I'll make it up to you" I said, and she nodded.

I woke up. I was in a green looking classical architecture room. My bed was a four poster, and I was in green clothes...green clothes! I shot out of bed, and green good looking clothes were on me, and what happened to my other ones? I looked around the room, I was alone. I moved the curtains closest to the door and paled. I was in a city, but the tallest skyscraper was dwarfed by this massive building...not that the other buildings were small. Many of the city was a mixture of green and white, almost mirroring Planeptune's purple and white color scheme. Not that this city looks anything like Planeptune. It looks alien...like futuristic but other worldly. It's coming together now, I think this is Leanbox. And I must be in the bascilicom, it's the only thing that makes sense.

But the battle? This place was supposed to look like a war zone, and while looking I can see some damage. It was no Lastation, though, which brought me a measure of comfort. As small as it was (I looked at my clothes again).

I opened the door, and explored the place. It was huge, like it's owner was compensating for something. Maybe Vert was small chested like Blanc? I shook myself. After a little bit I came to realize something. The place was empty. There was no guards, no denizens moving around with their own business, no CPU. It actually felt familiar somehow. I walked into an empty room and blanched. No way I'm doing that again. I skimmed over the edges as if the middle of the floor was evil, and got to the other side. I opened the door and started down the stairs...that was a big mistake. I walked into a bath! And there were two women, giggling and washing each other, not even kidding. One was green haired and blushing with big breasts and the other was a blonde haired crazy girl! Her breasts were huge, there's no way they are real...they were staring at me now.

"Oh no" I said "There is no way my luck is that bad" The green haired one screamed and tried to cover her breasts. The other one stood stark nude and open, summoning her spear. She transformed, yep that was Green Heart.

"You really are a pervert like Uni said" she replied, brandishing her spear.

Like Uni said...what?

"Run" I said and I ran.

"You will pay for this, I will erase my beauty from your mind" she yelled as she chased me.

"Trust me on this, I will pay, don't worry" I yelled back as she chased me.

"I will make it tenfold" She answered.

"You know, you should really think about locking your baths. I had the same problem in Lowee" I huffed.

"I know!" Green Heart declared "I will not suffer the same fate as Blanc"

Uni I will kill you...wait are they here?

"Mommy" I said.

"You will not escape me" Green Heart said.

"Oh I'm fairly certain of that" Leanbox was an island...so I'm doomed.

Through the corridors I ran, and Green Heart wasn't very far behind me. I had a premonition just then. HDD form has clothing, because Vert was nude, and when she became Green Heart...good to know I suppose.

"Somebody help me!" I screamed "I'm being chased by a mad woman!"

"Die, Die, Die" Green Heart declared.

"How are you so fast, when you have to carry all that weight?" I asked her, and she actually thought about that. I face palmed as I ran.

"Well I suppose it has a lot to do with familiarity, and I do exercise every now and then" She responded, still trying to take me down with that spear.

"I'm sure your lack of clothing also helps" I said.

"That is not my fault! I need to vent heat" She explained

"I wonder why" I responded and she got me in the right shoulder with her spear. Nicked it really.

She chased me to some doors and I burst through them. The following room was massive, and I ran past some people. They were familiar, but my main concern was Green Heart. I ran to the end...it was a dead end.

I tripped and fell on my face.

"I have you now" Green Heart declared.

"Why is my luck this bad?" I wailed.

"Stop your whining and accept the inevitable" Green Heart said.

"Accept the inevitable" Rei said Manically, she was in control.

Rei got up, and turned. Green Heart gasped and readied herself. I felt different, but she was deliberately keeping control from my senses.

"y-you...I heard the stories but I never imagined..." Green Heart looked a bit shaken.

"Me" Rei answered maliciously, and went HDD.

"Your low-class whore personality survives, I see. This is why you CPUs are vulgar whelps. First you all decide to set a trap in Lowee. It was clever to be sure, and Joshua fell for it. Oh the stress you gave him, it angered and entertained me simultaneously. Then you seek to entangle him further, by allowing him to wander a bascilicom with no instructions, where he eventually stumbled upon your little slut show. I think it's funny that you think it's his fault, that you think he's wrong" She laughs and I felt a little heavy on my chest... "You're the ones who are wrong! This whole situation is wrong! So how about you laugh with me? Ahahahahaha! Mwaaaaahahahaha!"

"What do you want. My fight is with him" Green Heart fought to stay composed.

"Oh, you really are a shamelessly dressed Costume Playdate Unit! If you can call it that" Rei laughed.

"And what about you?" Green Heart pointed "You're not exactly covered up yourself" No, it can't be true. I fought to see myself, and Rei kept me back.

" _Let me deal with this won't you? You always have all the fun, now it's my turn"_ I let it go

" _Please tell me I'm still a guy" I pleaded._

" _You are still a guy, but I want to show off this time...as I let you with Blanc" Rei pointed out._

"Are you still there? Hello" Green Heart asked.

"I am dressed well, because you dress to show off and I don't. I'm correct! I embody propriety!" Rei holds her hands outstretched.

"You're insane" she responded.

"Hahaha! You are amusing! Do you really want to antagonize someone as mighty as me?!" Rei said. And she charged Green Heart.


	32. Chapter 32

Rei punched Green Heart in the stomach, making her eyes widen with surprise at her speed. She threw Green Heart to the ground and prepares for another attack. Green Heart tries to thrust with her spear, but was blocked by the staff. Rei parries with Green Heart at a speed I've never seen before, like she was a totally different person than when she fought Mashtalk. I suppose the fact that my body feels different has something to do with it...I swear, if I turned into a girl for this fight, I will murder him...and I felt the unfamiliar weight on my chest as Rei did some sort of attack.

"That bastard!" our voices were synced for a second, causing Rei to lose some concentration. I gained control of my body for a few seconds, long enough to realize the truth. Tears started to roll down my face as I sunk to my knees.

"No, no, no" I said as I grasped myself and was hit with unfamiliar sensations. Green Heart stopped.

"I-it can't be, Rei...Why did...-" she took control again.

"Damn it, I didn't want him to see this" Rei stood up again, and Green Heart dove, using the brief span of confusion to gain the advantage...but I didn't care about that. I was a girl, a fear that I had since Alduin did this to us, I was a girl...I was a girl...

"J..hu. .os.. .ou the..." I blinked, I was in a chair.

"Rei, Rei, hello, are you there?" I looked and we were all sitting in a dining room of sorts.

"What happened?" My voice was feminine...was Rei's.

"Rei, we were just talking about you and Joshua, were you listening?" Neptune's voice answered mine and I looked across the table. All the CPU's were there, including Vert, and there were people I didn't recognize; a little blond girl, a light purple haired girl, the green haired girl from earlier, and Rei Ryghts. Yes Rei Ryghts was staring at me, don't ask me how.

"Rei?" Noire asked me.

"U-um I'm n-not Rei" I was stuttering in her voice? I paled What was going on...

"Joshua" Blanc looked at me, a mixture of sympathy and care on her face.

"Joshua? What the goodness?" Nepgear looked at me, then at Rei, and paled herself.

"Pervert" Uni said.

"Now don't panic" Noire looked at me panic like, too late woman I'm panicking. I stood up and hair fell in my sight.

"No" I moaned as I realized what happened.

"Calm down now, no need to fuss" Vert got up as I increased my 'nos'

"No, no, no, no" I said, tears coming to my face "Say it isn't so, I can't be...a girl!" Rei's voice and my words. I grasped my chest and cried aloud "NOOOOOO!"

"Aww, it can't be that bad" Neptune said, smilingly.

"Neptune, this is no time for your antics" Nepgear rushed to me, with Blanc in tow. I threw up, almost on them. This was crazy, like I was in my own little Ranma world. Except a hot bath might not fix this. I collapsed into someone's arms and cried, and cried. The stupidity of the whole situation, the disorientation of a different body, the fact that I lost my man card, and my manhood...

ALDUIN WILL PAY FOR THIS!

Eventually I stopped, I don't remember when, and honestly I went through the most emotion I've ever been through in these fifteen days...and my whole life. No wonder women feel emotions like facts, that stuff is powerful.

"Are you all done?" Blanc asked kindly. I looked, I was on the ground and most of the people in this room were hovering around me.

"W-What the hell I-is going on?" I said, voice slightly wavering.

"If you can make it back to the table, we'll tell you" Noire said.

I got up. I was laying on Blanc's lap...now that was embarrassing. I stumbled a little, being a girl when you were a guy for your whole life can be a bit disorientating. I sat back down, like a girl, which only made me want to cry again.

"Now you're a girl, which has definitely come at a surprise" Noire stated "But was something that you feared was going to happen"

"Is is permanent?" I asked.

"No it isn't, but because you're a CPU which is sharing two separate people, you can change genders" That is something I would never get caught attempting...for one I like being a guy, and for another...well let's just say I'm not exactly politically correct on the issue. Sucks to be me I suppose.

"How do you know this?" I asked.

"That is simple" Vert said "Your Rei told us, as it is information you can see on your CPU window" I opened up the window, and sure enough Rei Ryghts was overlaying me in the status screen. The countdown said forty-eight hours.

"What's forty-eight hours?" I asked (keep in mind Rei's voice, my words)

"The cool down time before you can actively switch back" Noire said "So with some waiting involved, you can become a girl or a boy whenever you want"

"I'm definitely not using that feature ever again" I said, aghast.

"Are you sure?" Uni asked, her face angry.

"That was uncalled for" Noire replied to her.

"I don't even know how it happened the first time" I said "Rei just wanted to battle Vert, and took over, because of that craziness from earlier"

"Rei won, by the way" Blanc smiled. I nodded.

"So I'm stuck looking like Rei for two days" I sighed "By the way, why am I seeing Rei?"

"U-umm I'm your Ultradimension counterpart. I'm responsible for your CPU abilities, and just wanted to meet you" the other Rei said.

"I'm lost" I said

"Well this is how it is" Neptune said "You from the other place decides to give the you from here which is you-you, a great big dark purple blab, and stuff"

"Neptune that was awfully confusing" Noire said "Not to mention stupid"  
"I gave my other self my powers" Rei said "And that unfortunately came with my memories, which I am sure your me is still coping with, after I told her. I didn't want them, I still don't, but my body retained enough of it, so I am at least able to speak w-with o-out u-umm..."

"Acting like a jibbering fool?" Neptune said.

"I guess" she fell silent.

"Well I suppose that led to saving my life and her's so thank you" I said. She nodded.

"Next question then" I swallowed, trying to calm myself down from the ordeal "Why are you all here?"

"What kind of question is that?" Noire asked "We took a day to relax while you shot down a dragon and sunk a few ships. Of course we decided to help you, on principle" She turned her head.

"Yeah, by watching me suffer an embarrassing nervous breakdown" I responded.

"It's not my fault you hate being a girl"

"Hate it?" I said "I have no idea how to even act, with your crazy clothes and your really uncomfortable shoes. I lived my whole life relaxing when I sit, and now I have to squeeze my legs together, or it can get really weird...um not having anything there" I sighed.

"This is going to get annoying real quick" Uni said "You'll just have to 'man' up and deal with it. It's only two days"

"That's easy for you to say, when you've never had anything down there, and-" I stopped as they all were looking at me strange. I shook myself.

"Pervert" Uni said.

"Ummm, Mr. Joshey, why do you have a girl living inside you?" light-purple head said.

"That's mommy" little blond replied "I have two mommies"

I blinked, I have no idea who these people are.

"I don't think we've met?" I told them.

"Oh okaay. I'm Plutia. Niiccee to meet you" she talks real slow-like.

"You remember me mommy" little blond laughed.

"That's Peashy" Nepgear said.

"I remember Neptune talking about Peashy, or is P-ko different?" I asked.

"You remember that?" Nepgear asked.

"Yeah...feels like a long time ago" I said.

"We've been through a lot" she replied.

"So what's the situation?" I asked, calm enough to start thinking, mind you I am still distracted by my voice being Rei's.

"We've taken Hero City, and drove the Cultists out of Leanbox proper" Vert said "Gargan City is where the dragons have a huge hold"

"And that's probably where Miraak is" I said "I think we should attack Gargan City"

"So what would your plan be?" Vert said "Because that's too many dragons"

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter" Vert said.

"My Ladies" a guard regarded us, and I cringed.

"Captain" Vert said.

"Gargan City has been abandoned. The enemy has disappeared. We've won!"

"That is good news" Neptune said "Now we can go home, right? Right?"

"Neptune" Nepgear said, disappointed.

"That isn't good at all" I said "He's up to something. Captain, if I may, did you see any dragons leave?"

"No, I did not witness it myself, but others did" he said.

"Miraak...what's your game" I shook myself, no time to mope.

"You think he's up to something?" Noire asked.

"Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he...And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, That world shall cease to be. Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he...And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, That world shall cease to be" Chanting from outside the bascilicom could be heard, that's his plan...

"He duped us?" Vert asked, concerned.

I went to a window and blasted it open, and before anyone objected I 'shouted'.

"MIRAAK! HAVE YOU FINALLY COME OUT TO BATTLE?! 'MARK THE PRINTS'" and I searched for signs of dragons and Miraak...and nothing. The slaves weren't slaves at all, but Cultists, in uniform or without. There were no enslaved here.

"This will take my mind off being a girl for two days" I went HDD.

"It sounds weird when you say it as a girl" Neptune and the others went HDD.

" And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, Gameindustri shall cease to be"


	33. Chapter 33

We all took off out the broken window and assessed the situation.

"Green Heart, do we have access to our forces?" I asked.

"Most of them are in the surrounding area" she replied.

"And of course we allowed the enemy unhindered access, like dumb asses" White Heart said.

"What about your cannon?" Noire asked.

"It's too far...wait! It wasn't too far for Lowee, so maybe as long as I have control, I can use it" I was surprised.

"Oh no! Plutie, who allowed you to transform" Purple Heart balked. I turned, and so did the others. Apparently they all shared Purple Heart's concern.

"I became big too!" Peashy said...a big girl now. With big breasts...I looked at my own and sighed. Being a girl was depressing for me.

"So what do I call you guys now?" I said, not caring about whatever crazy personas they might have.

"What do we call you, Rei?" Plutia asked seductively.

"Yeah, what do we call you, Joshua?" Purple Sister flew a little closer. The enemy fired a missile.

I 'shouted' Unrelenting Force.

"I'm the Dragon slayer" I said, as the battle lust of Rei entered me. Being girls allowed us to be in sync faster, and more power was rising within me. "And just make sure you CPU's know it"

"Well, well. A new friend to 'play' with. You may call me Iris Heart, as my equal of course" Iris Heart flicked her sword.

"And I'm Yellow Heart" Yellow Heart jovially flew in the air, with her fists of steel.

I laughed and flew into the battle. It didn't last long. Between all the CPU's attacking and the fact that all the Cultists started retreating after they found that no Dragon reinforcements were coming, it became child's play.

We stopped fighting altogether after an hour.

"Looks like they just gave up" Purple Heart flew to where I was hovering in the air.

"Some of them were hoping for their scaly friends, I think" Black Sister followed.

"Yeah something's definitely fishy here" I confirmed.

"Did anyone else think that was easy?" Black Heart asked as the twins were play-tackling White Heart, frustrating her.

"Too easy" Green Heart replied.

"They just weren't ready to play" Iris Heart looked like she would follow them, to torture them or something.

"Where is Miraak? He wanted play-date units so bad, I figured you all would have forced him to come out" I-Rei turned to face them, and laughed manically "I may be fake, but that doesn't make me any less stupid. He wants us, wants failures to rule with, and I say let him try"

"He will rue the day he thought CPU's were a good idea, and I know just how to do it-" I was me again.

They all looked at me, and I descended and untransformed.

"Joshua?" Purple Sister asked.

"Yeah it's me, she just popped out for a bit. I expect she'll do that more often now that I'm a girl" I told them, and they all untransformed on the ground.

"She has a small point, didn't you say he would be here?" Noire spoke up.

"I myself have yet to see him" Vert said.

"He's just scared of my awesome power" Ram said.

"There's nowhere else for him to hide" I replied "I really thought he'd be here".

"Well I'm sure he'll turn up eventually" Neptune said "You know, he might have gotten lost"

"Yeah, with all of his forces here, he took a wrong turn at exit forty-five" Blanc said sarcastically.

"He can fly Neptune, I really don't think he'd get lost" Noire said.

"Maybe hee overslept" Plutia said dreamily, like she wanted to sleep.

"Bad Mirry" Rom said.

I thought long and hard about this. Miraak wants all of the CPU's and rule Gameindustri, obtaining more power than all the Dragons as a result. So what was he doing the whole time the Cultists were in Leanbox? He wouldn't have gone back to Apocrypha, would he? Unless...

"We'll have to keep a close eye on things, Miraak's not one to hide. It is possible that he went to Tamriel" I said, and flicked my long hair out of my face as I turned to them.

"Why would he?" Blanc asked.

"He ruled Solstheim. His temple's there, in a similar manner that your Bascilicoms exist. It's the only explanation I can think of" I really wanted to be right, because the alternative is too terrible.

"So something's there, for Miraak to want to go back, right?" Vert asked.

"Think of Tauri and my Pong cannon" I told them "And the ruins of Lastation. There is a reason why I'm using a now destroyed city as a base and refuge for Noire. Miraak may have similar reasons: a hidden weapon and a place to gather strength"

"I don't like this" Nepgear said "First Alduin disappears and then Miraak goes away. And they'll be back. The wait will be too much, and when we get comfy-"

"-they'll be back to catch us off guard" Uni finished.

"Then we won't get 'comfy'" I said "Neptune and Noire trusted me with you, and I will deliver. There is much to teach you about the Thu'um and a short time to get it done" And when they return, when they fight us, when they see it, they will fall...

Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Vert went to parts of Leanbox to help the skirmishes and rally the people against their fears of Miraak and the Dragons. They were gone for the rest of the day. Ultra Rei, as I've begone to call her, took Peashy and Plutia back to Leanbox's Bascilicom, to marshal up defenses for the city (truthfully I think only Rei's going to work, but I'm sure she'll pull through). Rom and Ram were sitting on the sidelines of a little stadium in Leanbox I found to train Nepgear and Uni. And I made sure I let Uni have it.

"I-I'm sorry" she was almost in tears.

"That was a little too harsh" Nepgear said as I readied myself.

"Again Uni! Try to dodge this...FUS-" I stopped as she burst into tears.

"I-I won't do it again" she sobbed.

"You won't?" Rei pushed through, she's been influencing me a lot more since I became a girl.

"Please-"

"I'm sorry doesn't cut it bitch" Rei spat and I exerted myself.

" _Rei, what's gotten into you?"_ I asked.

" _You know how much trouble she put you through with Vert?"_ Rei asked me.

" _I'm supposed to be teaching her"_

" _Maybe she'll give up"_ Rei answered.

" _I don't think the Non-HDD you would have thought that if I wasn't here"_ I told her.

" _Call it you're filling me up, I'm just giving it back"_ she was close to mania.

" _This is all because you think you're a fake, isn't it?"_ I asked.

She was silent.

" _I don't care what they told you, I don't think you're a fake, and I think at this point that should be what matters"_ I consoled her.

" _But my power was hers, I was nothing in this dimension. It could have been her and not me that you went to...I could have nothing"_

" _That's not what happened though, is it?"_ I asked.

" _No, it's not"_ she answered.

" _You've been influencing me over this burden of yours that is irrelevant. Your other self can't hold a candle to you._ _She_ _was_ _defeated by the CPU's, and you weren't. I don't care if that was going to happen, it didn't happen"_ I hoped that got through to her.

" _Thank you"_ she said, tears in her eyes.

"Joshua, you have made her pay long enough" Nepgear was mad. There were tears in my eyes, and I wiped them.

"I'm sorry about that Uni. I let my emotions take over and I shouldn't have" I told her, while Nepgear comforted her.

The next hours were rough on all of us. Nepgear managed to get Whirlwind Sprint down, Uni was able to learn Clear the Skies, and I learned a few myself, using my book (it was easier for me, for some reason).

By the time we all met back, it was in the night. In the Bascilicom's meeting room that I blasted the window out of, which sort of made it drafty.

"How did the training go?" Noire asked.

"Terrible, and we-I had an incident. How about your escapades?" I asked.

"Good news, no dragons, and no Miraak. Bad news, Cultists are hiding all over Leanbox, they won't give up" Blanc said.

"They're not going to. I've been suspecting this for awhile now, but Miraak's playing with us. The end result is still to be determined, however" I said "If Miraak went back to Tamriel, then I think we should find that portal. No one but Alduin should be able to return from there, and it would achieve what we want to achieve. And end to at least one of them"

"Yes but how practical would it be?" Vert said "To bury ourselves in the sand. We didn't exactly do that when we had that crisis with Rei Ryghts"

"I have been wondering that as well" Blanc said.

"There is too much lost, for us to just drive them out" Noire said.

"And everything has a death flag" Neptune said.

I looked at all of them, and inwardly I was impressed. They are right of course; Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox have suffered because of Alduin and Miraak. Planeptune had to deal with Rei Ryghts, which I have to deal with as well, so essentially this whole mess comes down to us three: Alduin, Miraak, and myself.

" _Not entirely"_ Rei said _"We are on the good side now"_

"I cannot speak for them, but I agree" Ultra Rei nodded, and Plutia smiled confirmedly.

"If that is what you want, I will uphold my oath to Blanc in this fashion" It sounded weird coming from me when I'm a girl.

"So then we have, but one course of action" Vert said "We wait for Miraak to return"

"In the mean time, we will take over" Ultra Rei said "Plutia, Peashy, and myself will do our duty, with your forces, allowing you to completely get some rest"

"At that point in time, you should turn back to normal, and regain your strength" Blanc said.

"You guys have thought this out, huh?" I was really impressed.

"If Alduin returns, we will need to be ready, so you should continue training them" Noire said.

I looked at Nepgear and Uni. They were apprehensive, but nonetheless were excited about their Thu'um.

Miraak...where are you?


	34. Chapter 34

The next day, I was well rested. Well, I shouldn't say that entirely. The extra weight on my chest was bothersome, but Rei helped me get to sleep, and boy did I. Sixteen days in this world, and this was the second time I ever felt that good. That was until the bombshell at breakfast.

"We are going out" Neptune said as soon as I got into my chair "So, you have to babysit our 'lil sisters. Its girls only so..."

"But I am a girl!" That was the wrong thing to say Joshua.

"You were a guy until yesterday" Noire yawned "And we're not going through that crap again"

"We just need some time to relax" Blanc said "We'll be back, of course"

"And what are Rom and Ram supposed to do?" I asked "Because I'm almost one hundred percent positive you don't want them to learn the Voice"

"You can take them to a place in the city, can you?" Vert said "You know Leanbox has a good tourist industry"

"I'm supposed to teach Nepgear and Uni, remember?" I said.

"So you can't go anyway!" Neptune was triumphant.

"You'll have to take Peashy as well" Ultra Rei said.

"Weren't you supposed to be on guard?" I asked.

"Yeah, but II'm sleapppy" Plutia said "And they are all having fun!"

"We have a way to make contact with the soldiers, if there is a problem" Ultra Rei said.

"We are only going to be gone for a few hours" Vert replied "And I'm leaving the Oracle of Leanbox, Chika Hakozaki, here to assist you" Chika looked at me like I was the enemy, yeah right I'm having her assist me. Assist me my ass.

"Where are they anyway?" I didn't see them.

"Out in the courtyard, waiting for you" Noire said.

I face palmed.

"Why didn't you say that before?" I was severely annoyed.

"Because we wanted you to fix yourself" Neptune said "You're not dressed appropriately"

I looked at myself, and sure enough, I was still in my bed clothes. I had to change in the dark, so as to not see myself, and cause any unnecessary embarrassment. And I forgot to change this morning. I hate being a girl.

"That was mean, Neptune" Noire said, her face reddening. They all knew I tried, and failed...and they all knew that I would have to fix myself eventually. There was just two problems with that. I was a guy in spirit (Rei Ryghts showed me I was still a guy in my dream. I can't explain it exactly, but since we're sharing a body, only physically is there a change. And I'm supposed to believe emotions are physical. Physical my ass), which means I would have to see Rei's body naked, for all intents and purposes. No perversion intended. The second problem was that I have no idea how to properly dress myself as a girl. No joke. I had never played those stupid Girl Dress up games, and I had never seen a girl dress herself. And that is why I am a loser.

"Way to embarrass me first thing in the morning" I couldn't even be sarcastic properly, because of Rei's voice. Damn it.

"Well I'm certainly not going to dress you" Noire said.

"Yeah, I'll pass, as well" Neptune smiled.

"You are on your own, Joshua" Vert said "And Blanc's a little girl, she can't see your endowments without being jealous"

"The hell you get off saying that crap" Blanc had the red eye...not even kidding. I better not seriously piss her off.

"I'm just saying, you can't handle the truth" Vert bounced her breasts...bounced her breasts... WHY?

"Say one more thing thunder tits and I'll kill you" the red eye became more red, and her teeth became sharper? What is going on here?

"Now now girls, no need to fight" Noire tried the diplomatic approach.

"At least I have some" Vert couldn't help it.

"That's it" Blanc transformed "Time to die, bitch" White Heart said.

"Aww, can I transform tooo?"Plutia looked happy.

Blanc untransformed

"We're good" she said

"Ye-yeah, no need to rush" Vert said "I apologize, Blanc"

"I a-accept it Vert" Blanc looked forced.

"I tried to stop you" Noire said.

"Way to almost sick her on us" Neptune inputted.

"I guess I'll help you Joshua" Ultra Rei said. And she took me by the hand, and led me to my room.

I finally was in my old clothes (I had an extra pair in my inventory) and I successfully stopped myself from looking, even though I really wanted to (I'm not perverted, I promise). Ultra Rei was very good about it, and she even went as far as to say that my body and her's were exactly the same. I found that depressing.

The others had left, just as I was able to go into the courtyard. I didn't even ask them where they were going. Rom, Ram, and Peashy were playing tag, and passed me as I entered.

"Good morning Joshua" Rom stopped briefly.

"Good morning to you too" I said, and again, since I became a girl, it was Rei's voice.

"You're late, ya'know" Ram didn't even stop.

"Hi Mommy" Peashy chased them both.

I looked across the courtyard and Nepgear and Uni were looking at a phone-like device. It was her N-Gear.

"What took you so long" Uni said as I approached.

"I had to find out how to change" I said.

"I told you, Nepgear, he is a pervert"

"Say that again" Rei popped in control.

"I'm sorry" Uni amended.

"Good Morning Joshua" Nepgear said, smilingly. I regained my control.

"Well I was going to train you" I told them.

"We know, our sisters went out" Uni said.

"I know, we could go into Leanbox. I hear they have good tour-" I interrupted Nepgear.

"No thank you. Vert already offered"

"Oh, ah he he" Nepgear was a little embarrassed.

"So what are we going to do?" Uni asked.

"I don't know yet" I said.

"Ice cream!" Peashy yelled, coming my way.

"Yeah, can we? Huh, please?" Ram followed.

"Ice cream, Ice cream" Rom was last.

"I guess we're going into the city" I said.

Nepgear perked up, and Uni was thoughtful...why?

"When are we going?" Uni asked.

"Meet in front of the Bascilicom in five minutes" I said, and just like that, they all ran. Then I remembered I didn't know where the front of this place was. I cursed my own stupidity.

It took me ten minutes to find the front, which Uni was quick to point out.

"Yeah I know, I messed up" I said, but it sounded cute, as it was Rei's voice. I sighed.

"So, um, where's the Ice Cream vendor?" I asked

"I thought you would ask Chika?" Nepgear said. Yeah right, she's still pissed off about the whole bath incident.

"Huuuh, You're lucky we know where it is" Uni said "Follow me"

We followed her to the Ice cream vendor, or I should say her and Nepgear, because she got lost half way through. She was real discreet about it with Nepgear, and I pretended not to have noticed, which made her relax again. I did notice a man following us, an older man with a Grey beard...really? I know he wasn't a Grey Beard, and his beard wasn't that long edge wise, but he just screamed Skyrim. Was he a dragon? And I thought only Alduin had that power.

The girls had left me with some money, and I used a little to buy the ice cream. The little ones were the most happy about it, but I noticed Uni try to hide a little gleeful smile herself.

We went a little ways, and I allowed them to window shop, mostly to position myself to where I can see the old man. He was still following us, and not really trying to hide it. I'm surprised the candidates and Peashy didn't notice. When I looked to see them again, Uni was whispering to the other girls. I knew something was up then, between them and the old man. But which should I pursue?

" _The candidates know the city, and the land"_ Rei said " _The old man is more dangerous"_

I looked suddenly, and the candidates were gone! Uni must have planned this, damn it.

I searched through the crowds, and started running through the streets. Where were they? Oh the others are going to kill me!

All the while in my search, the one constant that I noticed was the old man. I would have to confront him later.

" _You should do it now, Joshua"_ Rei said.

Damn it.

I went back to the ice cream vendor. No cigar...I doubled back to the Bascilicom, not there either. Through the streets once again, I tried to find the CPU candidates and Peashy. Nothing.

" _They already left, or did you forget we could fly"_ Rei told me " _That old man is following you! Not them"_

I tried to ignore her, tried to find them, with Miraak and his Cultists still around, I knew this was a bad Idea.

"Joshua, Listen to me!" Rei said out loud. I covered my mouth as people looked at me funny.

"You are very peculiar, challenger" said a voice in the language of the Dov. And I know that voice.

"Ambition-Overlord-Cruelty, Alduin's second in command" I responded in the same manner.

"You know of me. Then this will be easier than I expected" Paarthurnax replied.

"Tell me Old One, did you come here to kill me?" I asked, ready to go HDD.

"You very well know I did not. I had come here to give you some assistance and to tell you that Alduin will soon return to this world. The Grey Beards were put in danger by Snow-Hunter-Wing, who seeks to kill me on Alduin's command" Paarthurnax said.

"Odahviing" I repeated "They say he's invincible, and only Alduin is capable of defeating him"

"He took over, after I betrayed Alduin" Paarthurnax affirmed.

"So Snow-Hunter-Wing is coming here?" I asked.

"He already is, because Alduin gave him power over Movement"

"That is his teleport power, isn't it?" I asked.

"It is" Paarthurnax nodded "We both can go anywhere but Sovngarde"

"And that is the only way to truly kill him" I said.

"You really mean to do it, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes I do" I said "That is why I'm the Challenger"

"Then we must first defeat Snow-Hunter-Wing. Hurry Challenger! He is coming this way"

"Hold on then" I said, and grabbed him by the waist. I went HDD and blasted out of Leanbox. Once we were out of the city, I let Paarthurnax go, and he turned into his true form before flying with me.

"Where are the candidates?" I yelled.

"Your CPU's left you right before I stopped you" he replied "They headed in this direction" Paarthurnax indicated the direction we were heading.

ROAR! Odahviing was catching up. ONE THEY FEAR was blazing.

"Prepare yourself, Challenger!" Paarthurnax declared "A very great battle is about to take place!"

Odahviing 'SHOUTED' fire. It was huge.

I turned and repelled it with Ice Breath. Odahviing responded with more fire, the largest I'd ever seen. Paarthurnax dove right to him, and kicked him to the water. He recovered and 'shouted' more fire, as he flew towards Paarthurnax. I blasted to him, and kicked him in the side. He tried to bite me, and 'shouted' fire.

"AHHHGH" I screamed like a girl (I was a girl), and fell to the water below.

"No Challenger!" Paarthurnax roared and kicked Odahviing into the ocean.

I blasted out of the water and screamed for miles. I was pissed, this was not how this day was supposed to go! Power surged within me, and I'm sure they could have heard me on the mainland.

"YOU WANT A BATTLE, YOU GOT IT" I 'shouted' an Ice storm and the sky became all cold; snow was coming down in waves, and the area around us froze instantly.

ROARRR! Odahviing flung out of the ocean and charged us. He 'shouted' fire, and the snow around the blast became rain.

I bursted into him and knocked him a hundred feet or so. I summoned my staff. He recovered and flew to me, and was stopped by Paarthurnax. They spiraled out of control as one fought the other for supremacy. I concentrated on trying to hit Odahviing, but kept missing because Paarthurnax got in the way. I wasn't going to hit an ally.

Finally they separated and Odahviing 'shouted' Clear the Skies. Paarthurnax bit into his shoulder, and Odahviing kicked his left wing. As Paarthurnax fell, I flew to Odahviing and 'shouted' Ice Breath. He grabbed at my staff and it disappeared. He kicked me, as Paarthurnax dove into him.

ROARRR! He flew around Paarthurnax, dodging his 'flame breath', and 'shouted' fire.

I was deeply annoyed. This was Alduin's new second, and both Paarthurnax and myself were having issues with beating him. Rei's mania was overwhelming me, and being a girl was disorienting my flight. I really have to get used to this! I shook myself, and remembered when I was beating Alduin myself. In Planeptune:

 _Alduin scowled._

" _You will die!" he yelled._

 _SLASH, SWIPE, CLASH, TING!_

" _You know dragon, I don't know what's more distracting? These women, or your swordsmanship" I said._

" _You only stand a chance now, because of that sow! I will send you to Sovngarde" Alduin 'shouted' Unrelenting Force._

" _And it is my chance Dragon! You destroyed my home, murdered my family, threatened my world!"_

" _You are breaking, challenger. Even if you became immortal, using her, I am the first dragon! I will succeed!"_

" _Ha ha ha ha!" I laughed "He he ha ha ha ha" I laughed a cold, mirthless laugh._

"Ha ha ha ha ha" I laughed and laughed and laughed "He he hah ha ha ha hah ah hah ha ha" They both looked at me, as the world grew dark by the power I had, the power vested in me as the First Console Patron Unit. Power swelled up in me so much, that I clutched my chest, feeling the heartbeat, as my breasts rose up and down with my laughter. It hurt, like it was ready to be released, like it was ready to pour out of me.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA" I laughed and laughed and laughed. The world was dark now, just like it was in Planeptune. I changed, which was something I was seeing as if detached. My left eye became covered with a scouter-like object that showed a screen:

 **REI RYGHTS NEXT GENERATION FORM OS**

 **BOOT PROCESS COMPLETE**

 **WING UPGRADE INSTALLED**

 **BLADE SHIELD OPERATION COMPLETE**

 **HARD DRIVE DIVINITY FORM 2 READY**

"Finally I can feel it again" Rei said, and my male voice was mixed with hers, though our body remained female "The power I held before Alduin showed up. As the world grew dark, and my monsters appeared-" Monsters were truly appearing in mid-air, and floating, seemingly without wings.

"-This is the power of a true CPU. The First CPU! My power. LAUGH WITH ME. Ha ha ha ha, ah ha ha ha ha" It was her voice only now, and I flexed my hand, summoning my staff, she flexed her arm, we were synced and the battle had just begun.


	35. Chapter 35

I charged. Odahviing 'shouted' fire, and I blocked it by knocking it away with my hand. I punched him, and he flew back hundreds of yards.

"If youwish to die, come forward! Your attacks will be futile" My voice was still Rei's but I didn't care at this point. I moved slowly, every facet of precision in my mania. Odahviing 'shouted' and a great wind blasted away some of my monsters.

"FUTILE, FUTILE, FUTILE" I summoned more, and shouted 'Clear the Skies'.

He roared, and Paarthurnax struck him on the side.

"You cannot defeat me! Alduin fled before my might. Laugh with me, Ha ha ha ha ha" I threw my hands in the air, as my monsters converged on Odahviing. With this power, can Miraak even stand?

I blasted to him and hit him in the stomach with my staff. His eyes bulged in pain, but he recovered quick.

Odahviing kicked me in the chest, and flew upward, burning monsters with his fire.

Paarthurnax roared and sped to him, while I recovered.

"Uwaaaaa, INSOLENT!" I said and positioned myself for an attack.

"Out of my way, Old One. EXE ATTACK! Final Eclipse"

And I shot the beam out of my palm, just as he 'Shouted' Flame Breath.

"YUL-TOOR-SHUL" Odahviing breathed.

It met in mid-air, just as Alduin's and mine did. And the world exploded with noise.

"CAREFUL CHALLENGER, SOMETHING IS HAPPENING, AND I KNOW NOT THE OUTCOME" Paarthurnax exclaimed.

But I did...we've already done this, Alduin and I. The ball of energy grew ever bigger, as neither of us budged.

" _Do any of you think you're better than me! CPU's are wrong! They only know how to destroy..."_

" _Just because you failed at ruling a nation, doesn't mean we will!"_

 _"You're all wrong! The whole world is wrong!"_

 _"Uggggh! Don't you ever shut up? Get your last words out. Go on. Aww, aren't I just SO nice?!"_

" _We will beat you Rei Ryghts! We will save this world!"_

 _#$$^%^ &*(*(^&$%#$%^&*()_()&*%^#$ #^&*()*(^&$% #$%%^&*(()&*(%^#$%^$%&*(_

" _It's not my fault you always have to go to Daddy's office. You open your big mouth too much! We were just having fun"_

" _You're mean, you know that?"_

" _If you say so, Rebbecca. But if Mom didn't marry him, I wouldn't be here, now would I?"_

"What-What is this?!" I yelled, as the ball moved towards me.

! #$ %^&**(&%^%#%$^&*()_(*(&^$%&*()_*+()&^*$#$%#$^&*(&*%^&&*^$% $%^&*

 _"Wh-Wh-What have I done?! I' made the goddesses themselves to come punish me!"_

 _"I already know more than anyone just how useless I am!"_

" _Eek! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Someone like me shouldn't be so rude and object to anything!"_

" _I-I'm all alone...and hungry...no friends, no one could love me..."_

"That's not true Rei!" I yelled as the ball went ever closer. I shook myself, what is this?

The Noise got louder, and I lost vision briefly.

" _Aurora No running in the house. Hey, come back here!" Blanc's voice..._

" _Daddy" Aurora jumped up and gave me the biggest hug._

" _Aurora! Your father is sick! Didn't I tell you that" She clutched my clothes tightly as people filed in._

 _She looked scared, She hugged me tight._

Not this again!

" _Y_ _ou_ _did nothing yet. But you will, not like you can help it can you?"_

"I don't know what's going on, but I will end you!" I said

" _I-I want to get a hug too"_

" _You can wait a year, Dad. See you then"_

"Allow me to remove you from Gamindustri with all my might in an instant!" I screamed, and flung the ball towards Odahviing.

ROARR! As he was flung to that distant island, I chased him, and Paarthurnax followed. The music changed to a chase like music...WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!

The beam was still propelling him closer, and I moved ever faster. I don't think removing an island is going to help me explain this mess to the others...wait! I can think again, properly.

" _You're mastering my ultimate form"_ Rei said.

Odahviing regained control a minute too soon, and flung the ball back to me. I swung with my forearm and flung it hundreds of feet above us, where it finally exploded.

"Heh, Dragon Ball Z logic" I said. I mean, I have the scouter. Why not?

Odahviing Roared and 'shouted' fire. I pushed it to the island, and it burned all the trees. It was like that last part never happened.

"That's why they say he's invincible" I said.

"Prepare yourself, Challenger" Paarthurnax said, and Odahviing charged "We're not finished yet"

ONE THEY FEAR again...that music's getting old.

I dodged his head on attack, and kicked his side. He was flung away from me, but recovered quick and hit me in the side, but was deflected by the blades. He roared, and tried to bite me, but again was deflected by the blades...cool.

"Old One!" I said.

"Yes I see, we need to take this fight to the ground!" And in response to that Odahviing destroyed the island that was on fire.

"Bastard!" I shrieked, and 'shouted' unrelenting force.

ROAR! He replied, as he recovered and charged Paarthurnax. This is getting nowhere. I watched as they were spiraling out of control again, each vying for supremacy.

I blasted towards Odahviing with one intent, get him to the ground or drown him in the ocean...or is that a choice?

I kicked him in the face and 'shouted' unrelenting force.

"Paarthurnax, I have a plan" I said.

"Go on" he rumbled.

"I want you to 'shout' him with a breath, and I'll use EXE Attack"

"And the end result?" The Dragon language often makes us speak old fashioned, I realized.

"See that land" I pointed "We need to get him to ground, we may have a better chance"

Odahviing launched an offensive.

"Yes, but I do hope you have an end game" Paarthurnax roared and tackled Odahviing. I positioned myself right, checking my scouter for any discrepancies. A lock of hair entered my vision, and I moved it violently. Damn this female body. I screamed.

"PREPARE YOURSELF! EXE ATTACK FINAL ECLIPSE!" I released the beam of energy.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, ah ha ha ha ha ha" I laughed, heaving my chest up and down, which forced my anger and rage even more. Damn Alduin, and damn this female body!

Paarthurnax 'shouted' Fire Breath, as my beam hit Odahviing, blasting him to the island. He was unable to 'shout' himself.

"I will end your existence on Gameindustri!" I blasted faster than ever towards Odahviing, allowing Paarthurnax to ride my trail with his wings. When I reached the island, I saw that it was a resort of some sort. I paled, what have I done.

"Challenger, there are innocents down there" Paarthurnax said.

"I will end this game, Old One" I felt rage well up inside me, and I harnessed it into my next move.

"Remember Dragonsreach, and what it was built for"

"Yes, I remember Unique-Eye-Open, and his imprisonment there" Paarthurnax said.

"Numinex" I whispered, and it kind of sounded erotic coming from Rei "Just like the game, I will capture Snow-Hunter-Wing"

"Can it be done? Truly" Paarthurnax thought on it...Roar!

"I will make it happen. Alduin should never have sent him here, I will end it immediately"

"FUS-RO-DAH" I shouted, which made some of the people look up.

Odahviing was blasted on a patch of beach, that was seemingly cleared of people. Perfect.

I descended. And hit the ground.

"Now you will taste the true nature of my power!" I moved my hand, and Seven Clones appeared: Purple Heart, Black Heart, Green Heart, Iris Heart, Yellow Heart, Purple Sister, Black Sister. My clones...

"Bind him, and do it quickly" I commanded. The clones converged on him. He Roared, and blasted a few away.

"Paarthurnax!" I shouted. ROAR! A dragon flew overhead, as the clones held down Odahviing. He landed, and held onto Odahviing's neck with his jaws.

"I have triumphed, Snow-Hunter-Wing. Your invincibility cannot aid you now" I walked up to him. ROAR!, he tried to move but he was held down tight.

"Joshua what is this?" I turned and saw Eleven swimsuit-clad CPUs. Uni and the other candidates were among them. Black Heart was in the lead, and they were all transformed.

"I had no idea your HDD states could sport other outfits. It is naught but a fleeting interest, however" I raised my hands to the sky "While you all enjoyed yourselves, basking in the sun, and in general, getting rest, I was defeating a great foe. I see Black Sister and the other candidates are with you, when I might have used their help. I know she told you such bull shit stories, so I will not even comment on that. My friends, meet Paarthurnax, our ally" I motioned to the Dragon holding Snow-Hunter-Wing "This is Odahviing, who cannot be defeated my any means we here possess. Alduin's second in comand, sent to kill the Old One"

"I-If I knew that would happen, I would-" Black Sister was cut off by Black Heart.

"I am tired of your antics Uni. You have caused Joshua enough trouble, and I will hear why later"

"You look like Rei Ryghts!" Purple Sister shouted, and amended "That is, the version we were up against"

I looked at myself briefly, and nodded.

"It is my final form. I find it interesting that instead of draining me, it is increasing my Magicka regeneration tenfold. It did take a lot to activate it, however, and it drains my endurance like you wouldn't believe" I said this in mania, my face contorted in a demented look.

"So are you in control?" Purple Heart asked "Or are you going to turn on us?"

I dismissed her questions with a wave, and looked at White Heart, who was determinedly not looking at me, her face set in embarrassment. I sighed, and turned to Odahviing. Her small chest must really be hurting her right now, if mine trumps it as much as it does. Damn this female body.

"Snow-Hunter-Wing" I switched to the Dragon Language "I cannot make Old One hold you forever, will you cooperate?"

"I am trapped like a bear. Your power keeps me here, _Dragon Slayer._ This was not your fight, but Ambition-Overlord-Cruelty's. I am undone" he rumbled "But just try to take my soul! You will fail at that, at least" Paarthurnax let go of his neck and morphed back into his old man form.

"We do not wish to take your soul" he said.

"I have defeated you in honorable combat. Join with us, in our defense of this world, against the World Eater" I said.

"Destroy-Devour-Master does not take kindly to traitors and thieves. I care not for this world, but he seeks to destroy it, for you and for Allegiance-Guide" Snow-Hunter-Wing rumbled, and tried his bonds, without success.

"Again Snow-Hunter-Wing, I don't wish to be the enemy of my kind, only defeat my brother" Paarthurnax said "He has warped his purpose, and forced us to commit atrocities under his wing"

"You do not know how much of our kind is under the tyranny of Allegiance-Guide" Odahviing replied "But even he cannot truly kill Destroy-Devour-Master"

"We are asking you to give us a chance, like you have done in another time" I responded.

"You seem to know things, too much, if I may say" Odahviing said "But you are correct. Yes I will join you" And he morphed into a man, with flaming red hair. The CPUs gasped, collectively and I sighed. They are entranced by him, and even Rei is.

The clones rearranged themselves to keep hold of Odahviing, and I untransformed.

"There seems to be two of each of these Console Patron Units" Paarthurnax said "Even you have a double. I didn't want to ask this, but I was told you were a male"

"I was, am. But since I share my body with another-Alduin's fault by the way-I am stuck like this for a little while longer" I tucked my hair behind my head and turned to face the CPUs.

I have a lot to explain, given the looks they were giving me.


	36. Chapter 36

"So that's the gist of it" Black Heart sipped a tropical beverage, while reclining on the beach.

"Yes" I said, red from embarrassment and severely annoyed. I was wearing a bikini, a freaken' bikini. They forced me to change, in the shadow of some trees, in view of everyone...and White Heart was there, of all people. She was wearing a really nice one by the way. Anyway, this island has rules: swimsuit or naked. I really didn't have a choice, and they were having fun at my expense. My chest wasn't as big as in HDD so White Heart wasn't as sad...is that the right word.

"And you're sure he won't betray us?" She sipped the drink.

"Yes I'm sure, and for goodness sake, why are we even here?" I said.

"You have to relax, after fighting such a long battle" Black Heart was enjoying this, and not even trying to hide that fact.

"Besides" Purple Heart came back from the ocean "It's not like you have much of a man card left, is it?"

"It's great to finally lay down and bask in the sun" Vert said, from her beach chair.

"Hey, hey, I goot iit" Plutia bounced a ball, several feet away, the only other non-HDD CPU here.

"Watch it Nepgear!" Black Sister bounced the ball back, and Ram jumped incredibly high to deflect it. Volley ball, beach volley ball, even...and I still can't shake this mood.

"Yeah!" Rom responded when they scored against Uni and Nepgear. Three against two.

"Hey! I wanna play" Peashy went to Nepgear

"Sure, you can be on our team" she said.

Snore...Paarthurnax was enjoying some much needed sleep, in dragon form of course. And Odahviing was sitting there, surrounded by my clones.

"Just imagine if you just took all of us to this place" Purple Heart said.

"It was just supposed to be us, though" Vert said "And Joshua's only half a girl, right?"

"Please stop bringing that up. And where is Ultra Rei?" I asked.

"Sleeping, after she was hit in the head with a coconut" yeah, I remember that happening as I was changing my clothes. She was knocked out, I almost feel sorry for her. I looked and saw her sleeping form, right next to White Heart, who was reading a book, and trying to ignore everybody.

"yeah, they tried to keep her out" Black Heart sipped her drink.

"Why?" I asked.

"They looked at her breasts and couldn't determine if she was truly of age or under age" was the reply.

"They didn't even need to look at mine" Green Heart said.

"Yeah we know" Black Heart shook her head "Anyway, she ended up smashing the machine"

"How are you all still in HDD?" I asked.

"We have to but change our suits, and our bodies automatically reduce power consumption. The downside is that we would need to change again to really use most of our abilities, and regain our defense, since we aren't wearing armor" Black Heart sipped her drink.

"Yeah, like you really wear anything anyway"

"Hey, I cover myself really well" Purple Heart said.

"It's Vert who doesn't really wear anything" Black Heart said.

"That is not my fault! I need to vent heat" Green Heart exclaimed.

"Yeah, I bet you do-oww" I said.

"You do not speak to a lady like that" Green Heart laid back down.

"So how much power are you using?" I asked.

"Well, considering we have to go HDD for anything official, as long as we don't engage in combat, or really use any of our abilities, we receive more share energy than we use" Black Heart said.

"That's convenient" I said.

"Coming from the girl that doesn't even use share energy" Purple Heart got up "I'm going back to the ocean, and I think I'm going to drag pissy heart with me" She stomps over to White Heart.

"There is another reason why we're here" Black Heart sipped her drink "And yes I will talk to Uni, she has caused enough trouble for you"

"Why does she seem to hate me so much?" I asked.

"I think it's really the opposite, but She'll never admit it"

"Kind of like a certain someone I know" I replied.

"I don't know what you're getting at" Yes you do Noire.

"This is the place of the second Dragon Temple" Vert said "At least that's what my intel suggests. Unfortunately, we can't find it"

"So why all the pretense about a girls day out?" I asked.

"Three things" Black Heart said "One, this is called R-18 Island. Women are free to go naked, and everything, which some of us really enjoy, without men's prying eyes of course"

"I've seen some men here" I said.

"Yeah, but if you notice the white light" Black Heart took off her top to make her point. I could see her topless, but if I focus too much, the light appears "It doesn't work for you because you're a girl right now, unless your man self or whatever it is reveals itself. You saw the light?"

"I did, and I don't know what to say about your flashing" I said.

"Mention it again, and I'll pummel you" Black Heart sipped her drink.

"Reason number two" Green Heart interjected "Is that you are our trump card, or something of that nature. I'm told you are the only one capable of defeating this Aldifart and Milkat"

"Alduin and Miraak" I corrected.

"Whatever" Green Heart waved a hand "I have reason to believe that because you defeated me in single combat, not a mere feat, I can assure you"

"Right" Black Heart was sarcastic.

"That means, you need to get your strength back" Green Heart ignored her.

"And the last one?" I asked.

"Nepgear and Uni" Black Heart said "They are the most apt to learn the 'voice' or whatever it is you and the dragons do. More people that can fight with you, and really be of use, will mean more chances of our victory. I remember Lastation"

"And as much as we want more power" Green Heart said "We haven't the time to all learn how to say things in another language, especially since most of the time we are dealing with national matters"

"Yeah, when you're not playing video games for weeks on end" Black Heart hit the bottle of sunscreen as Green Heart threw it at her.

"This is an island" I said "A really small one. So of course it's not going to be out in the open" I got up, and Black Heart yanked me back down.

"Rest, remember? Considering you fought a dragon today, you are not at your full strength. We can look for it later, as whoever, or whatever is inside, is probably going to stay there, as long as there are Cultists still out here, right?" that last question wasn't sarcastic. She would be wrong, except Alduin is confirmed to not be here yet, and without their master's support, the Dragon Cult is probably going to wait for the turn of the tide. I sighed.

"Fine" I said.

"Why don't you go and save White Heart. It looks like she needs a little help" Black Heart pointed to Purple and White Heart by the water, almost tackling each other. It looked like the others were going to join in on the action.

"I suppose Neptune will always be Neptune, but look at that" The twins tackled her into the water, as Purple Heart blasted a wave towards the shore. That was a bigger wave than she probably anticipated.

I ran. Fast as I could possibly go. Good thing Rei Ryghts had some sort of magic. I used my HDD shield to stop some of the water, as the twins escaped. Nepgear and Uni had taken Peashy out as well, leaving only myself, White Heart, and Plutia. Purple-Neptune (untransformed) tumbled towards us.

"Neptune you idiot" White Heart yelled as the big wave hit us. I grabbed White Heart, and 'shouted' Ice Breath, which only served to surround us in ice. Somehow we were dislodged and a floating sensation suddenly unbalanced me.

"If I ever get my hands on that bitch" White Heart seethed, wet and shivering "She shoulda minded her own business and let me read!"

She summoned her axe, and tried breaking the Ice. I say tried because for some reason, she couldn't do it.

"What the hell?! It's just ice!" She kept on trying, which eventually spun us off balance. Her Axe hit my head (the flat side did).

"Oww" I said, involuntarily, and tears were in my eyes.

She turned.

"Oh, it's you. Couldn't mind yours either?" She de-spawned her Axe "Well, get us out of here!"

"Stand back" I said, and 'shouted' Flame Breath. Nothing.

"What was that supposed to do?" She asked, annoyed.

I punched the ice, forgetting I'm a girl, and my hand suddenly really hurt.

"Huh, genius. I could have told you that didn't work" White Heart sighed.

I looked at the ball. If I was my old self, I wouldn't be able to stand, but I lost at least a foot, becoming Rei Ryghts. Score one for girl version, I suppose.

"This ice is enchanted, because my flame breath did nothing to it" I said.

"Did you do that?" she asked me.

"No one from Gameindustri could have done this, and I don't have the knowledge for it" I said.

"So the Dragon Cult?"

"Most probably" I said.

"The hell do they think they're doing?!" White Heart tried again with the Axe "They'll regret messing with me, bastards"

I dodged the Axe as best as I could, but I still got some hits.

She angered herself out, and soon after became cold.

"Why don't you put on some clothes?" I said.

"I-I can't idiot. Both forms have swimsuits, I never thought I'd get stuck in an iceb-ox"

I went into my inventory, and pulled out a coat (didn't even know I had one). I put it around her. She flung it off, angrily, but I persisted. After three times, she took it, and wrapped herself in it.

"Thanks" She said.

I looked out of the ice. The outside was distorted enough that I really couldn't tell what anything was, save the water.

I used Rei's magic, and summoned fire in my hand, and brought it to the ice. Nothing.

"Do you think our enemy really did this?" White Heart finally asked.

"We've been dragged in one direction for awhile now. I think its to the other side of R-18 Island" I said.

"We couldn't find it, and though we tried...I was against asking for your help" she shivered.

"Why was that?"

"Don't be an ass, you know why" she looked at me, and those red eyes starred just brilliantly, with the power symbols ever present.

"We've been at this for some time, now, where are they?" I said, shivering as well. She ignored that comment.

"I hate being weak. I always have. When you've been alive long enough, you know power. It fueled all of us, and it brought about a conflict I wasn't proud of. But then my little sisters appeared, asses, both of them. Just like me. I love them to death" she wouldn't look at me now "But it sticks with you, that hate, that weakness...emotions I would rather not have. Jealously of my-lack...love of my sisters...hate and fear of being weak. And then they showed up. Rei Ryghts. Miraak. That Black Dragon, that wants us all dead. You. You embody all of my emotions, jealousy, fear, anger, love... I hate it. And yet-"

"Everyone has their flaws. No one is perfect, least of all me" I said "I cannot stop your feeling, cannot tell you that it is flawed, and all. But I can say this, you are not alone. I lost my family, my sisters...I had three, no four of them. I lack things that others had, I am definitely jealous of some of you. I was weaker than most anyone in Gameindustri before I showed up, and a coward to boot. I was dead, before I grabbed Rei's staff, and shared our body. My whinny attitude certainly didn't help any conflicts I had gotten into in my world. You embody all that, all of me within you"

"And the constants-" she said

"-are Alduin, Miraak-" I said

"-and you" we finished.

We had stopped for awhile. Like we adrift to shore. Blanc didn't seem to notice, for she was Blanc now, and she was as close to me as possible. I put my arm around her, as the top half of the enchanted ice blew off.

"Challenger, and his little whore. The Priestess has been expecting you" Both of us were shot with some kind of paralyzing agent. Blanc's face briefly showed fear, as they took her away.

"Not much of a woman, is she" the man said.

"Bastard!" I shrieked and for once it was my voice, and not Rei's.

"Calm yourself, or you'll spoil the surprise. The World Eater shall return soon, and he would appreciate you as a gift. I will not harm her, if you are...acceptable in the Priestess's presence" He scooped me up, and carried me like he would a girl...I was really pissed. Blanc...

Alduin...Alduin...Alduin...


	37. Chapter 37

It was disguised as a turtle, with the 'shell' being the 'burial mound'. The mouth of the turtle opened up the top, using a claw made up of the weird Gameindustri crystals that no one ever mines. Since the turtle was a apart of the décor of R-18 island, no one would question this one's location. I was carried up the turtle, along with Blanc, who tried to look at me every chance she got. I wanted to reassure her, but I couldn't do it without speaking, we moved around too much. We were carried down the stairs, and entered through the black doors into the temple, which was built like an ancient Nord city.

"For your viewing pleasure, challenger, this is Yun Raald. We really went all out, and the city expands to a distance greater than the island itself" the man said.

"Yeah, I bet it does, to have to fit so many cowards" I spat.

Blanc screamed.

"Be civil with us, and she doesn't get hurt" the man said.

"I-It hurts" Blanc almost whispered.

"Anyway, under her tutelage, our City has grown strong. It is said that the Priestess is Alduin's favorite. Which grants her great power, never before bestowed on a human" the man was worshipping her, he must be a Draugr.

We ascended the stone steps of an actual temple, which made this place all the more grudgingly impressive. Novu Bromjunaar was merely a temple, and this place was ten times that.

They opened the doors, and carried us across a massive hallway to the throne chamber. When they opened it, I gasped.

Rom, Ram, and Neptune were here, probably drugged, sitting by the throne. A woman, in modified Dragon Priest Garb, with her chest prominently displayed in nothing more than a net, was sitting there at ease. Her hair was blue and her eyes, Magenta.

"5pb. No!" Blanc said weakly.

"Hello Lady Blanc, Lady Rei. It's nice to see you again, although I wished for better circumstances than this" She got up from her throne and motioned for Blanc to join the others. I was unceremoniously dumped to the ground.

"You though, Joshua Andrew. If only I could kill you right now, I would" she knelt and took my face in her hands "I would snap that neck of yours for causing Lord Alduin such frustration. You and that traitor both" She let my head fall.

"He started it, with me. He brought me here, in a world that was about to end, until I inadvertently saved it" I said.

"It doesn't matter who you think is at fault. Do you know how many dragons were killed or bent against their will. My lord's brothers and sisters made to serve a mortal, who has surpassed his time to die by thousands of years" She paced back and forth, never leaving eye contact.

"That mortal was a Priest like you" I said "You wonder why he betrayed the dragons. Because he was one, himself. Stuck in his human flesh, but nevertheless, a dragon. Power begets power, _Priestess_ "

"Enough. I haven't introduced myself yet" she said, and casted a spell in the Dragon Language that freed me of the paralysis.

"I am Lady Lyrica. Last and greatest of the Cult's Priests, lover to Alduin, and harbinger of your death" she looked at me, ready to kill.

"My lady" the man who carried me interrupted "I thought Alduin wanted him, for himself"

"Indeed he does. But he has permitted me, my judgment on this _Challenger_ " Lyrica said "Mashtalk failed, in what I will succeed at doing. Breaking him!"

I got up, and smiled.

"Mashtalk was pretty impressive, but I have his mask" I took it out of my inventory briefly. She gasped.

"That mask belongs to me! Give it here" she said.

"I don't think so. I would have made a trade with you, but I can't see you releasing those girls over there. Not for this mask" I stored it back in my inventory, and faced her "So how are you going to 'break' me? By defeating me in combat? Do you really not want to go for under the belt circumstances?"

She just stared at me, and motioned for all her people to exit.

"You don't need your Draugr to power you up? I'm impressed" I said, and she only flared her nostrils "Or does the dragon child in your womb give you extra power"

She flung electricity from her hands at me, and hit me. I screamed, and it was Rei's scream, as my body agonized and writhed before her. I finally was able to get up, and I had to brush my hair from my face. Damn this female body.

"How did you know I was pregnant?!" She almost whispered.

"Well I highly doubt that Alduin would be your 'lover' otherwise. I honestly just guessed. It doesn't show, yet, because it's only been a few weeks, but with your detect life spell, you would have seen it for yourself. It also means I can't kill you, because you know Blanc, and carry a child"

I summoned my staff.

"I cannot allow you to leave, for only the Dragons know of the child. Alduin above all else values his child, and if the Traitor gets me, Alduin's rage will be unstoppable" Lyrica was pale.

She actually believes what he told her...

She started singing in the Dragon Tongue, but I was unable to know what it was...

" Alduin's viing, nust drey gevul lok, Ok rein nahro yol, ahrk ok vrii gekinzon krezah. Muz ru ahrk nust motaas, ahrk nust fought ahrk nust dir. Nust ag ahrk nust bled ol nust komeyt niist cries" She sang, and the place rumbled. This was her power.

"Un hun, un hero Claims kendovro hil fun hi, Zu'u fun goraas Dovah comes With kod suleyk do ok kruziik birthright Believe, korah, Alduin tul comes It's oblaan wah vokul do pah un foes Beware, kosiir faal Lein Naakin comes For vulom lost passed And zoor tul grows You'll mindok, you'll mindok faal Dovah bo" Two Dragon Priests were summoned by her music.

That barrier, it must be why I can't understand the song! I looked and a barrier surrounded her, while she sang her song.

One Priest summoned a Frost Atronach and the other hovered in the air and used his weapon. I went HDD and began my attack. I summoned my shield to repel the flames coming from the staff, and hit the Atronach in the face.

Lady Lyrica sang all the harder.

" Alduin's viing, nust drey gevul lok, Ok rein nahro yol, ahrk ok vrii gekinzon krezah. Muz ru ahrk nust motaas, ahrk nust fought ahrk nust dir. Nust ag ahrk nust bled ol nust komeyt niist cries"

I screamed, and two clones were by my side: Purple Heart and Black Heart. I also summoned an Ash Guardian.

"Defend the prisoners in this room and defeat the Dragon Priests" I commanded, and the clones attacked the Priests and the Ash Guardian went to Blanc and the others.

"Un hun, un hero Claims kendovro hil fun hi, Zu'u fun goraas Dovah comes With kod suleyk do ok kruziik birthright Believe, korah, Alduin tul comes It's oblaan wah vokul do pah un foes Beware, kosiir faal Lein Naakin comes For vulom lost passed And zoor tul grows You'll mindok, you'll mindok faal Dovah bo" Lyrica sang, ignoring me and the battle. I had to stop her. But the Atronach got in the way. Perfect...

I used my staff and electrocuted the Atronach, spraying lightning everywhere around it. The lightning hit the barrier, and created ripples around it. Bingo. I dispatched the Atronach and attacked the Barrier. It dissipated very quickly and I reached Lyrica.

"Enough of this, or I will use force" I yelled at her, and she ignored me.

"Alduin's wings, they did darken the sky, His roar fury's fire, and his scales sharpened scythes. Men ran and they cowered, and they fought and they died. They burned and they bled as they issued their cries" She sang "Our hero, our hero Claims a warrior's heart I tell you, I tell you The Dragon comes With a Voice wielding power of his ancient birthright Believe, believe, Alduin yet comes It's an end to the evil of all our foes Beware, beware the World Eater comes For the darkness has passed And the legend yet grows You'll know, you'll know the Dragon comes"

I used my staff and spread lightning to her, and she screamed, curling up in mid-air, before stretching outward, sending waves of energy everywhere. The temple we were in, started to collapse .

"5pb. Stop!" Green Heart said.

I turned and there they were: Green Heart, Yellow Heart, Black Heart, Purple Sister, Black Sister, and Iris Heart.

"YOU WILL NOT STOP ME FROM EXECUTING MY POWER" Lyrica screamed, and she had her staff out now, her mask was her own face. Alduin knew she needed no mask, for her beauty would do enough. She hovered like a Dragon Priest, and casted their spell on herself.

An epic music I could not name was in the very air.

"WULD-NAH-KEST" Nepgear 'shouted' and instantly she was swinging her blade at Lyrica.

"FUS-RO-DAH" Lyrica 'shouted' and pushed Purple Sister into Neptune below.

"Syphed Spear!" Green Heart shouted, and zoomed to Lyrica.

"LIZ-SLEN-NUS" Lyrica 'shouted' and Green Heart became a block of ice. She fell below Lyrica.

"5pb. I can't believe this!" Black Heart said "Why are you doing this to us?!"

"Why?" her voice warped with power, becoming more beautiful and terrible at the same time "Because of the one I love! You would destroy him, given the chance"

Black Sister shot at Lyrica, but she deflected it with her ward.

"VEN-GAR-NOS" Lyrica 'shouted' and Black Sister was swirling in a cyclone.

"Attacking independently's not working" I said.

"We can't kill her" Black Heart shouted "She's our friend"

"Alduin's wings, they did darken the sky, His roar fury's fire, and his scales sharpened scythes. Men ran and they cowered, and they fought and they died. They burned and they bled as they issued their cries" Lyrica sang, in the dragon tongue, as her power grew.

"Then we play with her together" Iris Heart said.

"No, if you want to keep her alive, don't" I said "She's with child"

"H-How?" Black Heart gasped.

"Alduin knocked her up, or something" I said "Does it matter! If you want to keep her alive, then we can't do much damage to her"

The Black Heart clone knocked me over, and the Dragon Priest screamed victory. The clone disappeared.

"That clone was as strong as you" I told Black Heart "To have been defeated bodes ill"

"FAAS-RU-MAAR" Lyrica 'shouted' at Yellow Heart, and she screamed and ran into the collapsing corridor.

"Plutie, save her" Black Heart said and Iris Heart flew after her.

"Nepgear's out of commission" White Heart appeared "Neptune's taking care of her"

"We'll fight" Ram said

"She's our friend" Rom affirmed.

"I'm not happy about it" White Heart looked at me.

"We'll need everyone we can get" I told them, as we faced Lyrica. The cave above collapsed.

"We evacuated the island" Black Heart said as the sun shown through, and Lyrica ascended.

"We're here challenger" Odahviing yelled, flying in the air.

"Prepare yourself challenger" Paarthurnax said "The Dragons are coming to fight us"

"Alduin's really sending Dragons to save her?" I said. ONE THEY FEAR was blazing.

ROAR! ROAR!

"Nust bo wah sav zey, Juriik. Alduin laan ok Sonaak!" Lyrica laughed with joy, as four Dragons flew out of the clouds.

"HAIL ALDUIN, BRINGER OF DEATH" They said in union "HE WILL COME SOON, CHALLENGER"

One of them landed and waited for Lyrica to climb on. The other two engaged in combat with Odahviing and Paarthurnax. The last one 'shouted' fire at us, which I deflected to the ground.

"You have attacked us for the last time" he said.


	38. Chapter 38

Down below us, the Dragon Cult's forces were battling the combined might of Lastation, Leanbox, Lowee, and Planeptune. They fought amidst the crumbling ruins of the temple part of their city. The dragon facing us roared, and took to the air, along with Lyrica's Dragon. I also took to the air, and the CPUs with me followed.

Lyrica sang a song in Dov, and Paarthurnax was smashed into the ground. I 'shouted' fire at the attacking dragon, and a shield-like barrier kept him from being hit. He Roared, but Paarthurnax recovered, and continued to assault him, dragon to dragon.

"Follow Lyrica, and take her out!" I said, as a dragon attacked me.

"But she's our friend" Black Heart said.

"She'll kill you without a second thought. The 5pb. You know is dead!" I struck the dragon with lightning, but the shield stopped him from taking damage.

I opened up my CPU window, and activated pong cannon. It has to work against them! I put the power at 100% and fired. It hit the dragon, and put a fissure splitting half the island. The Dragon survived.

"What was that?" Lyrica shouted, and summoned Dragon Priests to fight me "Kill him, and make sure he's dead" The Dragons roared in response. I tried Pong Cannon again, but was unable to execute. It was also simply too far away, and mistakes could be made.

Lyrica was singing and otherwise providing support for the dragons, and we were all around doing bad. White Heart was engaging a Dragon Priest on the ground, and the Twins were battling another Priest. Black Heart had the Dragon on her, and was just holding on. I saw Purple Heart ascend from the hole, an expressionless face on her. My clone.

"I command you to help Black Heart destroy that Dragon!" I told it, and it went off, to do what I asked. The Priest used unrelenting force against me, forcing me back. I recovered and a wall of Ice was about to hit me. I used my HDD shield, and the Frost Atronach attacked me, with it's master.

An explosion happened below, and a part of the ground caved in. Screams could be heard.

"Damn this" I said, as I dodged the Priest's wall of flame.

White Heart defeated her Priest, by breaking it's neck with her Axe, and Lyrica's Dragon breathed fire on her.

"Ahhhh agggh" She screamed in agony, and another Priest was spawned. Lyrica continued by throwing fireballs at the twins. Odahviing and Paarthurnax were still in the air, fighting their foes, but I couldn't get a grasp on what was going on, because I had to defeat this bull shit. Damn this madness. I summoned another Ash Guardian and commanded it to attack my Priest. I then 'shouted' unrelenting force on the other one, and went to help White Heart. A Dragon fell to the ground, and Odahviing landed on top, and attacked it. I went around the fight, and a smaller fissure opened up, between me and her. Blanc...

"Damn you all" I said, and the mania was finally showing up, as power swelled in me. I 'shouted' fire at the Priest, just as White Heart activated an attack, and I hit them both.

"NOOO!" I screamed, but she recovered quickly,

"Watch what you're doing, dunce cap" she yelled at me, as the Dragon attacking Black Heart fell on top of me.

I tried to get out from underneath it, when suddenly Lyrica's Dragon fell between me and White Heart.

"I've had enough of you, Challenger" She spat.

"Same here" I said.

"STRUN-BAH-QO" She 'shouted' as loud as she could. And the sky became a storm. Altair's Chase music started playing...okay who the hell is playing these things anyway? The biggest storm I'd ever seen started pouring, and lightning was everywhere.

I 'shouted' unrelenting force at Lyrica, and used my power to get out from underneath the dragon. All four of them landed then, as Draugr poured out from underneath the fissures. They all transformed into humans with swords and armor, reminiscent of Skyrim, and surrounded Lyrica.

"Everyone that can here me" I shouted as I descended "Attack the Draugr! Keep them from me, and I'll defeat these Dragons"

"Bold words to be sure" Lyrica said "But they were tasked with my life, which I would gladly give for them, but for the Child" The thunder rolled, and the lightning struck everywhere.

"What does Destroy-Devour-Master want with a child?" I asked.

"Like I'd tell you. Enough! If you wish to fight, then fight"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh" I said, as power swelled within me. "Ha ha ha ha ha" I laughed and laughed and laughed "It's like you're asking me for permission, slut" Power exploded in a diameter outside of me. The world became dark, really dark, as the storm continued. I transformed.

 **REI RYGHTS NEXT GENERATION FORM OS**

 **BOOT PROCESS COMPLETE**

 **WING UPGRADE INSTALLED**

 **BLADE SHIELD OPERATION COMPLETE**

 **HARD DRIVE DIVINITY FORM 2 READY**

"Allow me to show you what defeated Snow-Hunter-Wing" I said, and they watched, as monster after monster poured out of portals, and attacked the living draugr fighting Gameindustri forces. Clones were summoned in droves, and the surrounding land became a different shade of black.

"Joshua" White Heart said, and I could hear it from this distance.

"W-What is this?" Black Heart asked, as the Draugr around her were beset by high level Gameindustri Monsters of various types.

"I'm scared" Rom said. Ram was in a defensive position. In their HDD forms, they really kind of remind me of Aurora.

"If a single CPU can do all that..." Lyrica said.

"You should know, you lived with the CPUs longer than I have" I said "And please don't lump me with those other Playdate Units. I'm in a different level altogether" I faced them, and the Dragons attacked. I parried the first one, and the second tried to blindside me. But the scouter warned me ahead of time, and my blade defense activated and pierced the dragon. Before he could react, I stabbed him in the chest, and he fell. Three more to go.

The soul and Dragon remains went into my weapon, and for seconds, they were stunned.

"You're not Dragonborn?!" Lyrica shouted "You can't be, Lord Alduin defeated the Dragonborn"

"FUS-RO-DAH" I 'shouted' and blasted them back. I rushed and stabbed yet another Dragon. This time there wasn't any hesitation. One of the remaining Dragons launched himself at me, and hammered at my staff. It was all I could do to parry. In the distance, air strikes were being performed by the CPU armies, presumably against the Draugr.

"You think this is enough to stop me. With each of your kind I kill I get stronger, Dragon!" I said.

"It'll all count for nothing if Alduin devours you in Sovngarde" was the reply.

"I hope he tries to fight like a man. It will be that much easier to kill him" I returned.

The other Dragon tried to get into our fight, but White Heart intervened.

"5pb. Has disappeared" she said, as she deflected the dragon's sword.

The one facing me 'shouted' fire, which my blades blocked...my blades blocked. Hell yeah!

"And the Draugr?" I asked, as I parried a sword swipe.

"Black Heart's dealing with them" Indeed she was.

I stopped defending altogether, and let my blades do the work. When the moment presented itself, I killed my attacker, and absorbed his Dragon Soul, and the Dragon remains. The last dragon had flown off.

"We barely survived" White Heart breathed.

"I was in the same situation, until I did my final form" I said. We watched as the battle slowly progressed into our win. But I wonder how much we lost.

"As long as Lyrica isn't captured or killed, the Dragon Cult is still a threat in Gameindustri" I said.

"That bitch is our friend" White Heart replied and stared at me with her pissed expression "We're just supposed to kill her based on that?"

"Look at what this battle caused?"

"Big deal, so women can't show off their tits anytime soon" White Heart waved her hand, pointedly "That doesn't mean we kill her, until we find out how the hell this shit even happened. Oh I swear, if this is our fault I am going to destroy things, and no one's going to like that"

"Remove these monsters at once" Black Heart flew to us then "The battle is won, and everyone's edgy because of these things"

I waved my hand.

"It is done, CPU" I said, and untransformed "How many casualties?"

Black Heart's expression softened just a bit.

"There's no way to know, until we start repairing this place" The sun came back "That was creepy Joshua, just so you know"

"Did the monsters behave?" I asked.

"Whether or not they did is beside the point. What else are you capable of that you haven't told us?" She became more pissed again.

"Did they attack any of us?" I asked.

"No" she finally said "But you seriously are overpowered. You are going to spill all the beans, when we have time, Mister, or I'm going to freak"

"You already have freaked, Black Heart" White Heart put in "In case you haven't realized, our asses were only saved, because of his power"

"That excuses nothing" Black Heart would not relent "We will finish this later, Dragon slayer" And she flew off.

"You better not give us lies, dunce cap" White Heart smiled a little, before flying off herself.

"Is that my pet nickname?" I asked myself, thinking of the words dunce cap. I shook myself.

Many things happened today, most of them stupid. But I had one real question, besides the Baby thing. Was Alduin testing the waters, or was it overconfidence?

There were more pressing issues at the moment, and I sighed as Paarthrunax and Odahviing landed and regarded me. This was going to be a long evening.


	39. Chapter 39

"That was a lot of our brethren, Challenger" Odahviing said "I knew them all, they were good dragons"

"I am not so happy either. If you could do that to begin with, what would stop you from taking our souls, our power?" Paarthurnax asked.

"Keep in mind that it was Alduin who started this. Besides, you aren't trying to destroy or control Gameindustri, right?" I replied.

"I had no idea that was a factor" Odahviing was being sarcastic "Just remember that even you have limits. I help you only because honor demands it, but that doesn't mean I should be happy about it. Watch yourself, if you step outside of what I believe to be necessary, I will stop you"

"We will not trade one tyrant for another, Dovah Kriid" They jumped in the air and flew off, ready in case I need them.

Who are they to say yea or nay! Do they not know what I have suffered...I screamed, and it was Rei's voice, a testament to the day or so I have left as a girl (although her voice pops up anyway).

That night we were back in the Leanbox Bascilicom, eating. All of the CPUs and Ultra Rei. And for the first meal since I got here, all was quiet. Neptune and Nepgear were subdued, having taken a turn for the worst in the last fight and were really tired. Uni, Rom, and Ram were whispering at the end of the table, and Peashy was snoring next to them. Plutia had followed suit, and Ultra Rei was trying to keep her from falling off her chair. That left Vert, Blanc, Noire, and myself. Noire was determinedly ignoring me, and otherwise being sour. Vert simply was eating, and I believed that was normal for her to eat in silence, considering I had heard earlier that she was an avid gamer.

Blanc was picking at her food, and just looking gloom.

" _You s-should eat, or the fo-ood will get cold"_ Rei told me.

"What did you do?" Noire looked at me with such fury, I could hardly stand it "What did you do to this thing, that he wants you dead, that he wants this place dead!?" Everyone awake was looking at me, as if waiting for my reply.

"I want to know damn it! I want to know why my city lies in ruins, why all my friends are- Kei.. Little Rain, Resta, Sango! You don't even know them do you? They died, DIED! Those bastards tried to take Uni-" she lost her composure, and the sobs came "-t-tried to take my sister, damn it. What did you do, for Alduin to do this to us?"

"He played a game, Noire" You could hear a pin drop, with that statement made by Blanc, not me, but Blanc... "He played a game, like any of us would. Pop in a disc, on his favorite console, which is your's, by the way" The shock on her face, on all their faces, that Blanc would know what I didn't know. I myself was shocked.

"He played a g-game" Noire sobbed "Kei died because of a game! How? How do you even know? You were never alone with him, but in that ice ball, and you said nothing happened in it-"

"Because nothing did happen, Noire" Blanc was stern "He did not touch me, which was what you wanted to know when you asked"

"It would have been an experience" Vert said "Considering he's a male in a female body. I don't think he had anything to 'touch' her with"

"I had this prepared" Blanc took out a small, circular device "It's Lowee tech, top secret. Its intended purpose was to read minds for evidence in courts, as piracy in my nation was on the rise, and I was demanded to do something about it. I think this should suffice"

"We have many questions that require answering, Joshua" Vert perked up.

"I will not abuse it, so you could forget about it" Blanc again was stern "Joshua, place your finger on the indent, and we shall see what we need"

"Hey, I want a question answered to, you know" Neptune put in.

"We will see momentarily" Blanc looked at me, and her face softened. I put my finger on the indent.

"Ask your question, Noire" Blanc said.

"Why does Alduin want you, and us dead?" she replied, half sobbing, and the Bascilicom disappeared. My house was blown up, the only light in the darkness:

" _Jacob, what are you doing?" Joshua asked, as he hooked up his PS3 in his Sentry. They were in a small, cabin-like room, that was an addition to the suburban looking house, on a one sided street in Upstate New York. This was their game room._

" _I'm playing a game I just bought. It's called Hyperdimension Neptunia" He sounded apprehensive "It looks like an anime like game, and you know how Jeremiah and I hate Japanese stuff that doesn't make sense"_

" _Hey, don't dis the Japanese, they make really awesome stuff" Joshua took the game and read the back quick "But I'm kind of lost, is it an all girls game?"_

" _Um, I'm not entirely sure, but it has something to do with a Console war. And that's like Sony and Sega versing each other. Nintendo, Microsoft, all four of them"_

" _Huh" Joshua shrugged "Nice premise, I suppose. But Microsoft is American, and they really missed a big console company"_

" _Which is?" Jacob asked, then said "Oh right, Atari. But they don't exist anymore, and if memory serves, they were gone before all these companies showed up"_

" _You're forgetting the Atari Jaguar, which was out when the Genesis and N64 were out" Joshua handed back the game "Well, good luck I think"_

" _What are you going to play?" Jacob enquired._

" _Elder Scrolls. It's that or Bioshock, and I'm kind of stuck at Fontaine Futuristics. That damn Big Sister fight is hard" Joshua put in the Skyrim disc._

" _You're always playing Elder Scrolls" Jacob complained._

" _And you're always playing Assassin's Creed" Joshua retorted._

" _Yeah, but that has a lot of games to it"_

" _And Elder Scrolls doesn't? I don't own a computer for nothing" he turned up the sound when the Main theme started playing._

" _Alduin, here I come!" Joshua said, happily "I will defeat you, every time I play, no matter how many times you revive"_

" _Uh, Joshua, you know he doesn't revive, right?" Jacob said "You'd have to play the game again, and they just came out with the Dawnguard addon, which means I'm not replaying anything"_

" _Yeah, but his fight is so epic, I would play it again" Joshua started playing- *static noise* *static noise* *static noise* *static noise* *static noise* *static noise* *static noise* *static noise* *static noise*_

The scene changed to something I have dreaded seeing since this thing showed up. The day I arrived in Gameindustri.

" _Joshua, I just got back from the Ultra Dimension!" Jacob was excited, about to beat Hyper Dimension Neptunia Victory._

" _And I'm at High Hrothgar again, ready to beat Alduin" Joshua said._

" _You're obsessed with that game" Jacob was disappointed._

" _I haven't played it in a year or more, before this play through, you know" Joshua inputted._

" _Whatever" Jacob returned to his game._

 _ROARRR!_

" _Joshua, please turn down your game, that's kind of loud" Jacob said, before the house shook. One they Fear started playing._

" _What the Hell?" Jacob looked out the window._

" _Hi hind wah jur zey med tol firok Dovahkiin drey ahst ruus do lein?"_

" _Did it just say Dovahkiin?" Jacob asked, scared. There was a Dragon outside the window._

" _Zu'u lost filok Sovngarde ahrk dii oblaan, fah Zu'u los vozahlaas, faal Kul do Bormah!" it said._

" _I have no idea what it's saying" Jacob was shaking._

" _Fahraal oo juriik!" And it started destroying the House._

" _Run!" Joshua...no I screamed._

 _And they ran though the house as it was being torn apart by an angry dragon, at speeds that Olympic Runners probably couldn't reach. In seconds, the house was demolished, and Jacob ran away in another direction. Lucky for him, it was chasing me._

" _Hi fen neh filok! YOL-TOOR-SHUL" it 'shouted' and I barely dodged it._

It was like I was experiencing this again first hand, and I was yelling, and my heart rate skyrocketed-but it was a girl's voice...and my body refused to move. My chest was tight, and my breathing constricted by things I still wasn't used to, like having a chest, for instance.

 _Police were everywhere, and they were all shooting at the Dragon. None of their bullets made a difference, especially since we were teleported to New York City, and the Rocks were falling, and the Buildings were collapsing._

"NO!" I shrieked and activated HDD, but again, even in HDD, I couldn't move.

" _Hi hind wah jur zey med tol firok Dovahkiin drey ahst ruus do lein?" it repeated._

" _Alduin"_ I shouted in the real world and in this memory " _Alduin! Hi buruk vrii riil, hi dol jot kreniik! Zu'u fen jur hi"_

" _Alduin, bo nu ahrk mah wah zey, krif zey med Zu'u lost faal Dovahkiin! Nid vild, nid motaad, nid krent wahlaan! Zu'u jur hi!"_ I screamed, and Blanc cut the power to the device, and it exploded, and I still screamed...from the pain, from the hurt, from the drama.

"So now we know" Blanc sat down as I calmed myself, and untransformed "We know exactly what he told us, minus the game part. That was us, Noire. We could have played a game and end up in another world. You cannot blame that on anyone"

Silence this time was surprise, since no one would have figured that an entire world could be destroyed by playing a video game.

"So what you are saying, then, is that it's Noire's fault" Vert smiled mischievously.

"H-how is it my f-fault" Noire shot at Vert.

"Well, Blanc just said it was your console" Neptune jabbed.

"Enough of this" Blanc said "Don't you want to know why we were targeted?"

"I would like to know why we're a video game" Neptune said.

"Yes, I'm wondering the same, Neptune" Vert said "How could anyone play a game named after you?"

"Hey!" Neptune got offend-

"STOP" I got up. Silence again.

"Alduin wanted me to suffer. Gameindustri didn't matter to him. It never did, except for Miraak and myself" Tears welled up again, stupid girl body...I can't control myself.

"Then...why did Kei die?"

"This world was about to end. My coming here changed that" I let that sink in, while wiping my eyes "I wasn't supposed to change it, I wasn't supposed to grab Rei's staff. I was supposed to die"

I looked at them, and they looked at me, as I tucked my hair in, and huffed.

"This was my grave"...

CHAPTER EXTENSION – CHECKPOINT ONE

The next day, I was feeling miserable. Not even the prospect of changing back into a guy, could lift my spirits. I sighed. After I said what I said, Noire and the others calmed down, but I didn't. I was the most upset I had ever been since Apocrypha. They had asked me and Blanc more questions, especially how she knew what she knew. It was the Oghma Infinium, and it showed things, many of them wonderful. She didn't elaborate, but she looked at me quite a few times. Unfortunately the Oghma Infinium ensnares people with its knowledge, and much of that deception uses the truth. I have no doubt that the book showed her the future like it did me. That knowledge didn't stop me from sleeping good that night, though.

"What are we going to do, now?" I said to myself, and what a wonderful...ahem. Since I didn't want to go to breakfast, I took out that book I got in Apocrypha. The one with my handwriting, that I had only read one other time, and that was the other day. I taught myself some shouts, including Dragonrend. I had looked at some of the spell books that Aurora gave to me in Apocrypha, but some of them were beyond me, at least for now. The rest I learned, which caused them to be destroyed (I thought that was just game logic). There was a knock at my door.

"Joshua" It was Nepgear.

"Yes?" I answered.

"Um, well, I wanted to know if you were going to eat something, or if you just wanted to be left alone, I mean, if you do, that's fine I guess, but-" I opened the door, and she entered.

"I just didn't want to face all of you, yet. But I suppose I'd have too" I told her.

"Here, I brought you some eggs, and bacon" Nepgear gave me the plate.

"Thanks Nepgear" I said "And, well if you and Uni want to, I could continue teaching you. I'm sure Paarthurnax would like to help"

"They have a parade going on today, in celebration of the Dragon Cult's defeat" she looked at me, and smiled "And I think your timer should be done soon, so you could change back"

"They have a parade, in a Cultist infested city?" I was aghast "What if Miraak attacks?"

"We need to get our shares up. The people's morale have suffered. Especially after the destruction of R-18 Island"

I blushed from that, as that was my fault...wait, I'm blushing now?

"Oh that's it" I jumped up, and activated my CPU window. A button that I had never seen before appeared, where the timer was, and I pressed it.

I didn't feel much different, but I did notice a shift in weight. I patted myself, and the Breasts were gone! Eurika! Bravo! Congratulations!

"HEY GIRLS" I screamed, and it was my voice "I'M BACK!"

Nepgear was blushing now, and I looked at her for a crazy second, before running down to the Dining hall, and laughing manically. I was back, I'm Back, I'm a guy again!

" _Joshua, don't forget what you're-"_

Laughter was abundant, and all the CPUs were laughing. Noire was the loudest, but Neptune trumped her by falling out of the chair. Vert and Blanc were trying to hide the fact that they were laughing, and the rest...just didn't care. I froze for a minute, wondering what I missed when Nepgear rushed into me, and fell to the ground.

I reached out to pick her up, when I noticed my clothes...they had frilly lace on them, and they looked pretty...quite nice to look at-WHAT THE HELL AM I SAYING!

I freaked, I just remembered that I didn't change the clothes from when I was a girl. I went HDD.

"Ugh, that was not funny, guys" I said.

"Yo-you didn't ha ha ha, you d-dinent change" Neptune laughed, beating the ground with her fists.

"I-I won the bet! Ha ha ha" Noire laughed the loudest "Ha ha ha ha ha"

"I-I'm sorry Joshua" Blanc couldn't help it "I can't hold it in anymore-ha ha ha ha ha"

"I tried to tell you" Nepgear's voice was small, and she wouldn't look at me.

" _I was too late, but I-it was funny, right"_ Rei couldn't help it either.

"Of all the damn things" I marched out of there, and went up to change back into my clothes (I had male versions of Rei's Garb). I lost my man card, the moment I got it back. I waited an hour, before coming back down, and everyone but Neptune had went back to normal.

"Right then" Vert smiled amiably "The parade is about to start. We have been asked to make speech es as well as talk to victims of the battles of Lastation, Lowee, Leanbox, Hero City, and the various other cases as well. Joshua, you were specifically asked to attend"

"I was? But no one knows me like they do you, and I'd rather be in the crowd anyway" I responded.

"Here, they left this for you" she handed me a note.

I opened it, and read it...

 _'Remember the Summit of my Waking Dreams'_

That's pretty ominous, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what it means. I know it from somewhere...

"So are you coming?" Vert asked, and I knew she was talking before, but I had completely ignored her.

"I guess I am" I said.

We exited the Bascilicom to fanfare and loud music, people screaming and even a few whistles. This was a parade? There's no one else in it.

"What is this?" I asked.

"We are the parade" Blanc answered "And sometimes other important people and organizations enter, but they only want to see us"

"Not much of a parade" I said. But it looked like all of Gameindustri was here, which I know that's impossible, but this looked like Time Square at New Years, it was so packed.

"Okay then" I said, as we walked through the streets, and the people kind of tried to get as close as possible. I think this is what celebrities feel like, and that would be the closest comparison out there.

All of the CPUs waved and smiled and did all sorts of little things important people do in parades (I'm not going into detail on that). Even Plutia and Peashy participated.

I didn't know what they could possibly do to get the people riled up, but some of them were crying, and begging the CPUs to end the war we've found ourselves in. I looked around, but for the most part, people kind of gave me dirty looks. Okay so maybe I could have went into the crowd, but I had to do this, had to stay with them. Blanc took my hand, and held it, of her own will. I looked at her, but she was too busy visibly with the crowd. I squeezed it gently and held on, as my spine prickled and goosebumps went up my arm. I was being watched. Maybe Blanc could sense it, maybe she couldn't-

"Something's wrong, Joshua" Rom said, and took my other hand. Ram was right behind her, and had her hand in Rom's as well. I scanned the crowd, and nothing visibly out of the ordinary was present. Nepgear went over to Neptune, and stayed ready, while taking her sister's hand. Uni went to Noire, who put her whole arm around her...okay something's up.

I scanned the crowds faster, as all of us kind of drifted together, became visibly closer. The people looked somewhat different, and some of the faces now had blank, dreamy expressions on them. I was reminded of the note, that I had received before the parade...oh Hell no! We were going up to an intersection, where the CPUs were to give their speeches. I ran ahead of them, and searched the impending crowds-the jeering and the how dare you's were extreme. The attitude changed quickly, and as I searched, I heard a cry from Vert. I turned, and they were in a cage. I ran back to them and banged on it with my fists, to no avail. All the CPUs were caged, and people were throwing things at them...at Blanc. I summoned my staff and used lightning on the cage, trying to pulverize it. Nothing.

"Joshua, save your energy" Noire exclaimed "There has to be a switch of some kind"

"We're caged" Neptune said "Now what"

"We wait for Joshua to get us out" Blanc held the twins next to her.

"I'm going to get aangry" Plutia declared.

"Please don't, Plutia" Vert begged. I searched for a switch, dodging the food and other articles of garbage thrown, until I realized what the cage was...it was Apocrypha-like.

"Silence" a word spread like wild fire, and everyone fell silent. It wasn't in Dov, but the voice was unmistakable.

 _Remember the Summit of my Waking Dreams_

"Miraak" I said.

"No, it can't be" Nepgear said "Not now!"

I turned and looked for him, and there he was, on the podium that the CPUs were going to use for their speeches.

"Again we face each other, Joshua Andrew" he said.


	40. Miraak

Miraak walked the distance to the intersection.

"Release them" I said.

"Please, Challenger, don't even try that" Miraak waved his hand and looked at the cage.

"Why now?" I said.

"Alduin yet returns, and I am not powerful enough to completely kill him" Miraak breathed through the mask "I can repel him, and that was why he was gone for so long. But how do you kill an Aedric being? Especially one as powerful as him?"

I looked at him, and he looked at me.

"He comes for us, Joshua. I know you can feel it as I do, I know what you know. The World-Eater will destroy this world, unless I stop him" Miraak looked again at the cage "You stopped me from taking Lowee, and then handed the bitches to me on a silver platter-I asked myself why you even bothered"

"It seems I have no choice but to kill you here and now" I responded "You will not harm Blanc"

"Your still going on about that?" he waved me off as he looked in the distance "You are weak minded, Challenger, if you think she'll return that love"

"I have seen it!" I shouted "I have seen it in the very book you sent to poison her, or did you forget that?"

"So you read the Oghma Infinium, then? I thought you would have been too much of a coward, but it seems I was wrong. It doesn't matter, because I will end you before the World-Eater shows back up. I may let her mourn her loss before I wipe her will from her life forever. I told you what would happen, when we last met, didn't I?"

"I remember very well" I responded.

"Then let us not stand on ceremony" Miraak exclaimed, and looked at me "You are here in your full power, and thus subject to my full power. MUL-QAH-DIIV" and Dragon Armor appeared on him.

I went HDD.

"Indeed Miraak, the time of your Cultists in Leanbox and Gameindustri, has come to an end" I shouted and Rei's power swelled within me. Miraak waved his hand casually and a basin of Apocrypha water appeared in the intersection. ONE THEY FEAR was finally appropriate.

"You will die, and your death will herald a new age in Gameindustri" Miraak responded.

ROAR! and Dragons were in the sky. Miraak began moving as soon as I had begun moving. I blasted to him, swinging my staff to his blade, he parried and was behind me in an instant, as the Dragons swirled in the sky. I parried just in time and he pushed back.

"EXE Attack Final Eclipse" I shouted, and Miraak narrowly avoided it. I ended it, and used lightning, which he absorbed with his hand. In an instant he was in front of me, having used the whirlwind shout, and he blasted me with my own lightning. I used HDD shield just in time.

"Hermaeus Mora is laughing at us, you know" He said as he appeared behind me, and I back flipped, and used 'Unrelenting Force'. It barely phased him. He used 'Fire Breath', which I countered with 'Ice Breath'. I flew up in the air, and did an EXE Attack.

"Did you really think that being up in the air would save you" Miraak shouted and dodged the attack, before using Dragonrend against me. I fell down.

"How is this possible?" I yelled and Rei's mania threatened to show up.

Miraak appeared right in front of me, and used 'Unrelenting Force'.

"I told you it wouldn't save you" he jeered as I got up. I let my wings disappear "You are facing a Dragon in all but flesh, and one capable of that shout. I am Dragonborn"

He used 'Fire Breath' and again I countered with 'Ice Breath'. He responded with a wave of tentacles, that flew to me from across the intersection. I dodged it by using 'Whirlwind Sprint' which was his favorite shout in this battle. I zoomed up to him, and struck him with my staff, and he fell down. I got him now! I used 'Unrelenting Force' on him, as he was about to get up, and threw electricity at him, followed by 'Fire Breath'.

"Feim-zii-Gron" He said and 'became ethereal'. He walked up to the Apocrypha waters and stepped into them, healing him "Did you think I was down for the count, Challenger. Zirhtiel Zi-los-di-du"

A Dragon came down, and he absorbed it's soul.

"You fight valiantly against fate, but I am stronger here" Miraak boasted.

"You don't even know strength" I said, as the mania overflowed "You can't possibly understand me, ha ha ha ha ha ha" I used 'Whirlwind Sprint' and hit him in the stomach again, but he recovered quick.

"I have lived longer than your father's father, and your ancestor besides" Miraak boasted "I have wasted thousands of years in the Library's Halls, pining for the meager knowledge I needed to end my former masters"

"And that means nothing to me" I shouted and 'Whirlwind Sprint'ed towards him. When I got there, I used 'Unrelenting Force'. Miraak went flying back.

"EXE Attack, again! Final Eclipse" I shouted, and I hit him square in the chest.

"There is no escape" Miraak shouted, and a storm, as huge as I had ever seen reigned supreme in the skies, and the Dragons continued to circle our battlefield.

He used 'Whirlwind Sprint' and punched me in the chest. I went flying backwards, but was unable to recover, because he used 'Cyclone'. I found myself circling in one spot, at fast speeds. My breakfast hit the floor, and as I threw up, he used 'Unrelenting Force', and threw me to the ground. I barely parried the sword swipe, as he was on me in seconds.

"I know you're tired, Joshua" Miraak said "You can't hold out for much longer. Give up, and your death will be quick"

"I won't" I screamed, and threw him off. I have to get in the air! I jumped up, and willed my wings to return. I flew up in the air.

"I already told you that won't work!" Miraak 'shouted' Dragonrend, but I used my HDD shield, to block it.

"Gaventaar, Excritel, Fusk mok wah faal Golt!" Miraak commanded, They won't!

I summoned my clones, which was every CPU, this time including Blanc and the twins. My command was clear.

"Keep the Dragons out of this fight" I screamed, as the Dragons flew right over me. My clones started fighting them.

"This ends today, Miraak!" I opened my CPU window and selected Pong Cannon. After going through the necessary steps, I fired and it hit Miraak.

He 'became ethereal', and went to the waters. I waited until he tried his unique shout, and killed the dragon that he forced to land. As its soul came into me, he shot tentacles at me, and was successfully able to take another Dragon's soul.

"They are mine, Challenger" he said

"You should have kept them out of the fight" as I said this, another Dragon hit the ground, impaled by Purple Heart's sword. Miraak took that one too, and dispatched Purple Heart with his sword, before I was able to stop him. I dive bombed him, and he 'shouted' Unrelenting Force, blasting me away. I recovered, as another swarm of tentacles hit me. I was caught by my Black Heart clone, as a Dragon zoomed right next to me. I used Pong Cannon, and missed, destroying a slice of the city.

"Just like Lastation, only this time, its your fault" Miraak said, as a swarm of tentacles hit me. Before I recovered, he used 'Dragonrend' and I fell to the ground. A Green Heart clone was thrown in front of me, and a Dragon roared.

"Very good, Gaventaar" Miraak slew the Green Heart clone as he picked me up by the neck.

"It is over. I am just too powerful, for you to kill" He said, as he prepared his sword, and was hit in the side of the head by my White Heart clone...who disobeyed me, to save me. What?

" _I had to, now get yourself together and kill this guy"_ Rei apparently has telepathy too, and can use it without my knowledge _"Stop wondering how I did it, and free yourself!"_

"I will -ahhhhggh" I freed myself, as Miraak took the clone in anger, and started choking it.

"Even the fake defends you" He said, as he slew the clone "I am done with this battle" And the thunder rolled as the lightning struck. And Miraak took out his staff, putting the Dragon Priest spell on himself, and hovered like they do.

"This cannot continue, I am master of my own fate!" He boasted, and directed lightning at me, as another dragon fell, this time to Yellow Heart clone.

"That soul belongs to me!" He took it, and threw a wall of tentacles at me with his staff. I dodged the tentacles, only to get Ice bolts thrown at me from his hands.

ROAR!

"I thought you were stronger than this, Excritel!" Miraak said, as the dragon fell to Purple Sister Clone's Multiple Beam Launcher. I absorbed that soul.

"You are strong, stronger than I ever thought possible! But you cannot compete with me, Joshua" Miraak went to me, and we attacked, staff to staff.

While we fought, the lightning slew Iris Heart Clone, and Yellow Heart Clone.

"Ahhhgh" I said, as I narrowly avoided a storm blast "LOK-VAH-KOOR" I ended the storm.

"FUS-RO-DAH" Miraak 'shouted', and I hit the cage.

The Candidate Clones stood against Miraak then, as the Last dragon in the sky was vanquished.

"That Dragon's soul belongs to me" Miraak absorbed it, and turned on the clones.

I got up, huffing. The Candidate Clones will be no match for him.

"How long are you going to hide behind little girls, Joshua?" Miraak hovered to the cage, and stepped on the ground.

"Your lifelines have been cut, bastard" I said "I never hid, while you did"

"And now you face me, more powerful than when I started" There was a Dragon Roar in the distance. Miraak listened.

"He comes for us, Miraak, and my bones aren't your's yet" I said.

Miraak stabbed Black Heart Clone, who collapsed into him, wordlessly.

"Power enough to repel him, and with your death, I can expel him forever" He slew another clone, as the remaining two began their attack.

I need to get rid of him, before Alduin shows up, or everything might end.

" _Send him to another dimension"_ Rei told me.

How would I be able to?

" _Use my power! Alduin comes Joshua, and the others are in danger"_

Blanc...

The other clones are gone, and I struck him in the side with my staff.

"You think that-" I blasted him with 'Unrelenting Force'.

Miraak recovered quick, and the Roar got closer.

"Begone Miraak, and never return to me" I said, and my hand flung up of its own will. Miraak used 'Whirlwind Sprint', as the purple and black portal opened, and he fell into it.

"Nice trick, Challenger" he said, and he disappeared. I huffed, and fell to my knees, I couldn't kill him, but he's gone.

There was an explosion behind me, and I turned to see the cage destroyed.

"You've won, Joshua" Blanc came up to me, followed by the others.

"I couldn't kill him!" I said "I wasn't strong enough"

She hugged me quick.

"Get out of your mopey mood, and stay with us. That freaking Dragon's coming now" she said.

"Indeed. Regardless of the circumstances of your victory, you were victorious" Vert said, and transformed.

"We can help, we must help" Nepgear was with me "For the sake of all of Gameindustri" She also transformed.

"I am not about to sit like a pansy while you take all the glory" Black Heart (she already went HDD) slapped me on the back.

"Hey! This whole story went by and I only had a few lines" Neptune Transformed "I am not about to be forgotten"

"Ha ha ha ha. I will strike fear in that little snake" Iris Heart licked her lips.

I watched as all of them went HDD, and prepared themselves. And my excitement was washed out by pure terror. They'll all die! Alduin will kill them to get to me. White Heart smiled at me...Blanc.

" _I know this isn't the best time to cry" Rei said manically "What does a lizard have against us?"_

"What about the final form?" I asked.

" _We have all the strength we need from the CPUs and the Dragons we absorbed. Do not rely on what we can use when we're a girl, you still have thirty some odd hours before you can change into a girl-"_

"I won't do that, unless I have no other choice. I'm feminine enough as it is because of Alduin" I said.

" _Then we fight with our power in other ways. Just don't despair yet. Chances are that if they die, we may as well"_

I steeled myself as the Dragon came ever closer.

This will be the Battle for Gameindustri! Our shining moment...

"Waan mu mah, Alduin kron, ahrk Zu'u bo wah dii graad" I said.


	41. Chapter 41

The Dragon came ever closer, and I tightened my grip on my staff. The others stood with me as he approached, and I saw Lady Lyrica on his back. No one said a word. Finally Alduin touched down, and became a man in his black armor again, with his sword in his sheath. He put Lyrica down, from being in his hands, and instructed her to move to the perimeter of the intersection. Then he spoke.

"Between you and that traitor, I'm having a rather difficult time getting what I need done. Zu'u lost daal" He said and regarded me.

"I have rid Gameindustri of one of its enemies" I replied "And with the help of my friends and family, I will end the other"

"I have heard of your mating with one of the various leaders of this world. I will make sure you see her death, for not allowing me my revenge against Miraak. However-"

"If your here to fight, then fight already, and stop talking out of your ass" White Heart said.

"Pahlok joorre! Hin kah fen kos bonaar! This world is mine!" And Alduin became a Dragon as we ascended to the sky.

"EXE ATTACK" I screamed "Final Eclipse" And I hit Alduin, as White Heart did "Tanzerin Trombe" And sliced him.

"Sylhet Spear" Green Heart yelled, and hit him in the nose.

ROAR! He tried to break free.

"32 bit Mega blade!" Purple Heart declared, and shot a blade at him.

"Volcano Dive" Black Heart said, as Purple Sister and Black Sister fired volleys.

"Eternal Force Blizzard!" Rom screamed, and hit Alduin in the head.

"Ice Coffin!" Ram continued, and got him in the tail.

"Press the attack" I yelled, and 'shouted' Flame Breath.

"Meyye! Tahrodiis aanne! Him hinde pah liiv! Zu'u hin daan!" Alduin Bellowed, and broke the line. He moved away from the intersection, and landed on top of the Bascilicom, damaging it.

"He'll pay for that" Green Heart said.

"He'll pay for a lot of things" I replied "EXE ATTACK! Final Eclipse!" I shot my power towards the dragon. Alduin bounded to the sky, and the beam destroyed more of her Bascilicom.

"Joshua!" Green Heart was exasperated, and Alduin narrowly missed kicking me out of the sky, becoming human to attack me. I parried his blows, and as he fell, he changed back into his true form, and circled back towards us. Black Heart zoomed to meet him, but was thrown to the ground with Unrelenting Force. She was knocked out.

"Noire!" Black Sister cried, as the black dragon blew fire towards her. I rushed to defend her, activating my shield in the process.

Alduin switched targets, and pushed Green Heart into a nearby building with his tail. Purple Heart tried to attack, but she was swept away by 'Cyclone'. I wasn't staying idle, however. I had reached behind him, and activated my EXE attack. This hit Alduin in the side, which caused him to ascend higher in the sky.

White Heart, Purple Sister, and the Twins followed me (Uni went to Noire).

"Gein naal gein, hin allies fen mah. Zu'u fen kovir niist sil ko Sovngarde!" Alduin shouted "I fear not your pitiful attacks, mortals! Come to my element" he roared.

"This is getting us nowhere!" White Heart shouted "How can he be this freaking strong!"

"We cannot lose hope, Blanc" Purple Sister said "We have a way, we just need to find it"

"That will take us forever" I said "I will use Dragonrend, monster!"

"JOOR-ZAH-FRUL" I shouted. Unfortunately I missed. Alduin dodged by a thread, and dived to Purple Sister. He shouted Unrelenting Force.

"NO!" I said, but was too late. Nepgear joined the others on the ground.

"We need to get him to land" I said to White Heart.

"How the Hell do you want us to do that?" she dodged fire from his mouth.

"I have a shout that can do such a thing! The trick is to keep him there" I replied.

"Is that even possible?" Ram asked.

"CROSS COMBINATION!" Purple Heart shouted as she hit him to the ground with her attack.

"I suppose it is" I said "Now we keep him there" I used Dragonrend.

"Fools! Hi lost defied zey lingrah ganog. Rodraan fah hin dinok" Alduin said from the ground.

"Charge!" I said "I'll keep shouting at him, you engage him on the ground"

"Roger" Purple Heart charged.

"PAARTHURNAX! ODAHVIING! I CALL UPON YOU IN MY MOST GREATEST NEED" I screamed, and used Dragonrend again on Alduin. He then knocked out White Heart, by sending her into a building with Unrelenting Force.

Blanc...

"We have heard your call, Challenger!" Paarthurnax lunged at Alduin.

"And have come to help you achieve the impossible" Odahviing shouted Flame Breath, as he swept over the Black Dragon.

"Hurry Challenger! Use the shout that maims our flight!" Paarthurnax roared.

"Tahrodiis Paarthurnax! Vax Odahviing! Zu'u Alduin. Zok sahrot do naan ko Lein!" Alduin roared in response.

"Vax los Zu'u! Hi fund lost led zey wah dii dinok!" Odahviing made another pass, and shouted Flame Breath.

I used Dragonrend, and fell out of the sky.

 _You cannot help them now...you have lost everything!_

 _No, I beat you!_ I said.

 _You do not even know to whom you are speaking, Joshua Andrew._

 _Who are you? And where is Rei Ryghts?_ I have no idea what's going on right now.

 _You have wronged me...you forget me, and them. I cannot forgive that._

 _Just answer the question!_ I said.

 _The World-Eater will eat you soon enough, and I will take what's mine._

 _I'm not playing these games with you! If you have nothing to say, then bring me back to that fight!_

 _I'll send you somewhere alright...and keep hold of you while Alduin feasts on all you hold dear._

I opened my eyes, to an alien sight...but it was familiar somehow.

"This was easier than expected" she said.

"Yeah, we didn't even have to kill that many people" he replied.

I saw three people aboard a craft of some kind. One was wearing white armor, with black under armor...a futuristic thing to be sure. I saw that armor out of a movie! What was it?

"I sense a harder battle than ours taking place" the third one replied...could that be my brother?

"What is it? What do you see?" the woman got excited.

"Anya, do not pester him. Jacob has far more things going on than visions" the man with the white armor told her.

That is Jacob! My elation fell short, quickly replaced by puzzlement. What am I doing here? I need to get back to Alduin.

"The fighting has intensified" Jacob shook his head "Sorry guys, my mind wanders"

"So what did you see?" Anya asked.

"There are people fighting the Black Dragon. You know, the one who destroyed my home, and possibly my family" he sighed "Everything the enemy has done could be explained, except Alduin's involvement in New York. It still bothers me"

"I am sorry to hear that" the man with the armor said "But we are approaching Kraxious Five. Jacob, I need your attentions here" Jacob shook himself and sat straighter.

"Alright General, you have my ears" he said.

"Kraxious Five is a backwater planet on the edge of the midrim. It's sudden notice by the Imperial Fleet may be because of the information stored there. The little bit of information we have obtained is that the local populace of this planet actually calls it something different. I'll let you guess what that is" the General with the armor looked at my brother.

"Tamriel" he breathed "So this is where the Scroll is, then?"

"Well, those scrolls in general are there, but we need to be sure. Can you sense what you need?"

"I'll try" Jacob said, and closed his eyes. Nothing was said for minutes. I'm not even going to get into how weird this whole thing is.

"There is a lot of turmoil there, the Force won't give me a clear indication" Jacob looked at the General.

"We need to be sure, before I'll risk Resistance Forces" the General replied.

"Then we'll go ourselves. The honor of the creed demands it" Anya said.

"Now don't be hasty, Anya" the General looked at her.

"Hasty? The enemy could be down there, Prestor! And I'm not talking about the damned Imperials" Anya was exasperated.

"That is the sort of thing they are looking for" Prestor said.

" _He_ could be down there" Jacob said "And that's enough for me"

"That's the spirit" Anya clapped him on the back and left the room.

Prestor sighed.

"I was the voice of reason here" he said "Remember that" and he left as well.

I sat there, and looked at my brother. He appeared several years older than he was, and he definitely looked older than me. The only indication that I was older than him, was my age. I was the elder after all...

"All of this-" he shook his head, and began meditating.

 _Finally...I didn't expect that he would stop me from taking you._

 _You again_ I said.

 _Yes me, I'm looking forward to your end._

 _I won't allow you to succeed, whoever you are_ I remained defiant.

 _You may not have a choice...the pain he will cause you-I will be there. And I will take your place._

 _What do you mean?_ I was caught off guard. Just so you all know, this is as weird for me as it is for you.

 _Nice cushioning hair, and soft skin..._

 _Are you sick?_ I yelled

 _No more than you, stuck in a world that should not exist. I was referring to Blanc of course. I know you, you who would not take...I was rendered asunder from my body and thrust in a crueler world than you. I learned to take, and I will take. Your life is forfeit, your power is lost to you, and her body is mine-_

"NOOO!" I shot up and grabbed something. It was a neck. I was choking the black dragon.

I pushed him back, and transformed.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU YOUR WILL! THIS SHIT ENDS NOW!" I released a shockwave, sending everyone back. Alduin looked at me curiously.

"So he has spoken to you after all" Alduin changed into a dragon again "Zu'u fen tinvaak do daar wah mok zuspein"

"I will not give you that option" I took my staff and charged, shouting Dragonrend as I went.

I barraged my attacks, going so fast that he had to keep to the defensive. I mixed in shouts with my melee, so as to not give him any pause when my staff ricocheted off his sword.

Without me pausing, White Heart jumped in the fray, as beat up as she was. Beautiful...it made me only try harder.

Soon Purple Heart jumped in as well. Purple Sister and Black Sister came up from behind, and added their projectile attacks from their weapons. The twins threw ice from below, causing Alduin to roar with fury.

Above all of us, Odahviing and Paarthurnax circled, intending to block the World Eater's escape.

Black Heart and Green Heart landed on his back and hit with their own weapons.

Even Alduin couldn't block all of that.

"Zu'u unslaad! zu'u nis oblaan!" he roared "I will devour you all in Sovngarde"

"Not if I have anything to say about it" The power swelled inside me, and Rei Ryghts' power threatened to destroy rather than help. I have to calm down.

"Aagghghgh" I screamed, and Alduin was defeated. No...

I hit the ground. Gone...he's gone...Alduin's gone.

"No" I screamed in agony, and anger, grabbing the ground, the dirt.

Miraak...Alduin...Hermaeus Mora...that freak disembodied voice...my family, my house, my world-Nepgear, Aurora, Blanc...Jacob...

The swirling anger manifested as the dark power, a trademark Rei Ryghts ability.

"NOOO!" I screamed, and she was in it...it wasn't over-it wasn't over-it wasn't over...

I was knocked in the head with a heavy object.

"Get a hold of yourself, we need you" White Heart knelt and grabbed my armor by the scruff of my neck.

"He's not dead! He's gone back to Sovngarde to devour the dead" I looked at her "I gave it all I had, and it took all of us to do what that bastard Miraak did by himself. If he comes back, we'll die for sure-" she smacked me in the face.

"Then take us there, damn it, stop whining like a pansy"

"Wh-what?" I was startled. The others touched down, ragged but fine, and walked to us.

"You told us your plan, right? Get us to that shit-hole so we can kill his ass" White Heart looked at me with a killers intent "I'm not dying for crap like that, and surely neither will Lowee. I refuse-" she hauled me off the ground "- and so will you"

"We've gone this far" Green Heart said.

"We can go father, for Lastation" Black Heart said.

"For Planeptune" Purple Heart agreed.

"And Gameindustri" Purple Sister added.

" _This isn't bad, actually"_ Rei told me.

"And what would that be?" I asked under my breath.

" _You've always known you would have to go to Tamriel"_ Rei said.

"That's true" I said.

"So what's it going to be?" White Heart asked.

"Fine, I'll do it. I'll take you all to Tamriel" I said "I just need to find out how"


	42. Chapter 42

It turned out that getting to Tamriel was harder than I could ever imagine. Sure I had the ability to transverse dimensions, but the ability works with signatures. Rei Ryghts had Croire, who had that ability, to find signatures. But Neptune lost the book, which was the short version for Croire running away. I could blindly open a portal, but going through hundreds of places is not what I had in mind. Ever try reading a map in the dark, or driving to who knows where without directions? No? That's what I thought. Because it's stupid (for the record, if you did such a thing, I apologize in advance for hurting your feelings, but it is stupid), and I'm not that stupid...of course I didn't hold on to my Oracle when I had the chance so-

"This is what we found from the City under R-18 island. And no 5pb. Is not talking" Noire handed me a big tout full of maps, books, scrolls, and otherwise paper documents of assumed importance. It was a lot.

"Here's the key to the city Joshua" Nepgear handed me the claw, which I promptly put into my inventory.

We were in Leanbox's Bascilicom, or the part that wasn't destroyed in the fight. Vert had people working on the otherside, among fixing the city, so I had placed a very good piece of Alteration magic to suppress sound. Blanc, Vert, and myself were looking through all the stuff we found in the R-18 city-um what was that name again? Yun Raald or something-

"Hello Neptune" Nepgear said brightly as Neptune entered the room.

"Wow, suddenly I can't hear the noise from the outside. That's super cool!" Neptune said cheerily.

"Did you find anything Neptune?" Noire sighed.

"No I didn't, but Plutie found this!" Neptune held a piece of metal. Wait a moment.

"Uh, Neptune. That's just a piece of Tin. It can't help us" Noire yawned. Piece of tin indeed.

"Dig, Dwemer, in the beyond. I'll know your lost unknown and rise to your depths" I quoted. They looked at me, probably thinking I went crazy. I dug into some of the papers I sifted through. Where did I put it.

"Septimus Signus, you old fool-maybe you're right" I said.

"What did I do?" Neptune looked dull, as if she thought I was making fun of her.

"Hand me that 'piece of tin', please" I said.

"Okaay?" Neptune gave it to me.

"Ah here it is-'When the top level was built, no more could be placed. It was and is the maximal apex'. The Dwemer were more advanced than I thought"

"And just how does that help us?" Vert asked.

"It doesn't. Not yet, but a theory is more than nothing. Think about it, it expends a lot of energy to go in between dimensions, doesn't it?" I asked.

"You would know more than we would" Blanc said.

"Not so, Neptune went to that Ultra Dimension, right?" I asked. And I found the thing I was looking for.

"And, your point is?" Noire asked.

"When you go to the Ultra Dimension, do you feel some fatigue?" I asked Neptune.

"A bit, but that's a result of the portal being active because of our shares or something. Histoire told me once" Neptune said.

"Why would the Dragon Cult have this?" I slid that sheet I found to Noire.

"What is this? Share Energy charts...why?" she asked, looking at it.

"Power. Right? That's what you need to operate any device. But power consumption lessens when you have a stable generator. Case in point, energy production in the body. Our bodies generate energy from the foods we eat, to keep us Metabolically sound. Someone on his ass all day won't use a lot of that energy. But someone who works all the time will need to continually refill to gain the proper energy requirements that won't tire the body exhaustively"

"And where are you going with this?" Blanc asked.

"The Dragon Cult, and the Dragons that lead it are based in Tamriel. Much of their new recruits are dissidents from each of your nations. But how did they get here?" I asked them.

"Alduin brought them here, we saw this when you fought with him that first time" Blanc said.

"You saw what you wanted to see" I told them "That wasn't Alduin, that was Miraak, and I bet you he piggybacked on the energy Rei Ryghts was using in your fight"

"So then how did Alduin get his Dragons here?" Noire asked me.

"Mashtalk a while back had Draugr that looked old and decrepit, remember Nepgear?" I looked at her.

"Yes, you told me that there might have been a portal of some kind here, that was the only thing that made sense.

"I thought they built it in the same manner that you built the Ultra Dimension portal, but now I'm not so sure" I took out my phone, and called her number; all the while everyone else was kind of confused.

"Histoire?" I asked.

"Joshua, it's good to hear from you" she replied "Has Neptune been working or has she been slacking off again?"

"Depends on how you ask that question Histoire. Listen, I have a question for you"

"I had assumed that was the reason for the call" she said.

"Can you tell me exactly how you were able to get that portal permanently operational?" I sifted through more information, looking for hints of the Dragon Cult using Dwemer technology or anything.

"It will take some time, are you ready for this? I assume there is a reason for this question"

"Hold on, I'll put the phone on speaker" I did so, and placed my phone in the middle of the mess.

"Well, Joshua?"

"Right" I said "We are trying to establish what our enemy could have done to keep a way back to Tamriel"

"And I am correct in saying that this is the Dragon's homeworld?" Histoire asked.

"You are" I confirmed.

"Alright then. Neptune was stuck in the Alternate Dimension we call the Ultra Dimension. Initially, we had the plan to collect enough shares to open a one time portal to get her home. Nepgear, Compa, and IF were able to collect the shares, but in the haste and excitement, Nepgear had accidentally used up the power to come through to the Ultra Dimension" Histoire explained.

"I'm sorry Histy" Nepgear replied.

"Nepgear, what's done is done. This happened a few weeks ago, and you've already apologized" Histoire said.

"Wait, this was recent?" I asked.

"Of course. It happened just days before you arrived here" Histoire said.

My mouth dropped open, as I stared at them in shock. But that's impossible...didn't my brother have the game-

"Joshua, are you alright?" Blanc asked.

"In fact, Neptune and Nepgear had just gotten back when they fought Rei Ryghts, and they fought Rei Ryghts before-"

"Before I interrupted with the fight with Alduin" I looked down, guilt entered like a wave "You all have been through so much..."

"Yeah, but we're used to it-it now, right guys" Noire said.

"Absolutely" Vert commented.

"It wasn't that big a deal" Blanc said.

"Yeah, because of Alduin" Neptune agreed.

I breathed. Blanc tapped my arm.

"Hey, it's really not a big deal anymore" she looked at me "You can be guilty later, we need you right now" I shook myself.

"Alright" I said "I'm ready"

"(ahem) I had a dilemma on my hands of course, but I had the ability to contact my other self so, in the grand scheme of things, starting over wasn't as bad as it could have been, considering we did not know if it would even work to begin with. Now that we did, it was a matter of obtaining more shares" Histoire said.

"But that was a one way portal" I replied.

"A one time portal, you mean" Histoire corrected.

"Yes, you're right" I amended "How did you get it permanent?"

"I had instructed Neptune and Nepgear to obtain shares on that side, and if possible, make allies of the other CPUs"

"The other CPUs?" I asked "Like Peashy and Plutia?"

"Not exactly. The CPUs of Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox in the Ultra Dimension are alternate versions of Noire, Blanc, and Vert" Histoire said.

"You all have versions of yourselves in the Ultradimension?" I looked at them.

"Don't even think about it" Blanc said "You're not meeting them"

"Ohh, is Blanc a little jealous?" Neptune jabbed at her "Methinks she is"

"Shut up Neptune" Blanc gave her the evil eye.

"No one asked you" Noire said.

"Are you ready to continue?" Histoire asked

"Sorry Histoire, yes please continue" I said.

"Well, Neptune and Nepgear managed to not only do just that, but do it so well, that the portal became permanent. So as long as the two Planeptunes exist, the portal would be there"

"'When the top level was built, no more could be placed. It was and is the maximal apex'" I repeated, absentmindedly.

"Is that all you needed?" Histoire asked me.

"One more question" I said "Do you think the Dragon Cult built their own portal, or do you think they used an existing one?"

"Considering the amount of power required, and the fact that the Dragon Cult's power source derives from magic and not electrical power-" Histoire was interrupted,

"Is the CPU's abilities magical or electrical?" I asked her.

"Depends on who you ask, but I would say a bit of both" Histoire said "Were they capable of such things in Tamriel?"

"The only evidence of such things that I have seen would be a portal that had to be manually opened and closed. It couldn't stay open permanently. At least with the Dragon Cult. The Daedra were able to open portals, but that required and anchor, such as a Sigil Stone. Magicians were able to in part, but they had to be constantly maintained. I know the Elves were capable of such things-" I said.

"It sounds like they all have a common theme, except for the Daedra, and that requires something akin to a switch being flipped, am I correct?" Histoire asked.

"You are" I said.

"Than I think there is a much better chance of them finding a portal that had already existed, as opposed to making one. But they could have used both"

I didn't think of that, but they could have an area set aside for that purpose, a secret area that they don't want to attract attention by. But they had one -Yun Raald. Except Alduin didn't escape that way, did he?

"Is that all you need, Joshua?" Histoire asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry Histoire" I said.

"It is not a problem. Call me anytime. Well then, I will need to go, if you do not need me" she replied.

"You have been most helpful-wait!" I stopped her.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Do you know anything about those called the Dwemer?" I asked.

"That name sounds funny...I do not think so, but I will check my records. This will take three days" she said.

"Maybe you called them the Dwarves?" I asked.

"Again, that will take me three days, but I will check"

"Thank you" I said.

"Be careful out there" she said.

"We will, and thanks again" I repeated,

"Good Bye" she hung up.

"Um, who are the Dwemer?" Nepgear asked.

"They were the most technologically advanced race in Tamriel. If anyone would have a random portal here, they would. My clue is that 'piece of tin' and the paper I showed you just before the call. They were trying to replicate a portal structure to save energy, and unless they have access to Planeptower's portal somehow then there is a portal from Tamriel to Gameindustri, and it's been running for awhile. 'Dig, Dwemer, in the beyond. I'll know your lost unknown and rise to your depths'" I looked at them.

"So is that our ticket into Tamriel?" Blanc asked.

"Unless you have another idea" I said.


	43. Chapter 43

Yun Raald. The city under the vice of men. We had carefully walked among their corridors since the call to Histoire. At this point we were just trying to find any portal that worked.

After the call to Planeptune's Oracle, I had stumbled upon a piece of paper that was smartly encrypted to disguise the information within. A hidden room. There was a small faction of Draugr that had survived the purging of the Lastation temple by simply being stationed out here instead. They had unknowingly taken some things from that temple and stashed them in this room. But Plutia and Neptune, in their infinite craziness, stumbled into said room accidentally. The fact that we all accompanied them was because if a single Dwemer artifact was able to be kept in this room, then it would be possible that more would be there as well.

And I needed to find out what.

Obviously I am going on what I have found in this city, and knowing the Dwemer didn't have any known artifacts that allowed access to another world, this is really taking it out there. But if I used any of the portals that allowed the Dragon Cult to get here, I am only asking for trouble.

"Is this it?" I asked.

"Yep" Neptune said "One certified hidden room, complete with treasures untold"

"This is junk" Blanc said instantly, and picked up an embalming tool for good measure "Why would they hide this?"

"Treasures indeed" Vert agreed "Blanc's right, as much as I hate to admit it. I hope you have a back up plan Joshua"

I sighed.

"Just look for anything remotely useful" I said.

"Could this be useful?" Nepgear held up a cube. I knew instantly that it was dwarven made.

"Yes Nepgear, that is what I am talking about. I believe this is some kind of storage device, perhaps it activates what we need. Now we just need to gather every thing that matches it, or anything remotely technological"

"You told us that they were the most technologically advanced race in Tamriel" Vert said "That cube looks like stone age tech-"

"Yes, I get it Vert" I said, rumaging through some junk, "But that's state of the art in Tamriel, considering the Dwemer were gone for thousands of years before Alduin returned. Be happy they even have gadgets and gizmo's"

At that point I heard Blanc scream, and my heart almost stopped.

"Neptune, you ass, I'll freaking kill you" Blanc has the evil eye.

"Ah ha ha ha ha" Neptune laughed, holding a claw...the claw "The claw comes to get you Blanc, wooowaa!"

Blanc summoned her hammer and, fell down laughing. Noire was tickling her from behind.

"Now now, Blanc. Not in front of Joshey-poo" She said.

"Noire" I said "The claw"

"What about it" Noire let go, and Blanc punched Neptune right in the face.

"Owwey, Blanc that was my face" she said.

"I already have the Claw to the city" Claw to the city, heh...get it?

" _Yes we do Joshua, now hurry up and tell them"_ Rei told me.

"And what's your point?" Vert asked, but Noire lit up.

"Th-that temple!" she exclaimed.

"But we were there already, we would've noticed something, Joshua" Nepgear said.

"That's what worries me" I said, and everyone was paying attention at this point "I didn't look at the whole thing, did you? Noire sent some people in there yes, and we fought Cultists there, but I am the only one in this whole world, outside our enemy, who would know what to look for"

"And what are we looking for, exactly. I mean, besides a way to Tamriel?" Noire asked.

"We would be looking for a dungeon, right?" Neptune hit it right on the head. I think that squirrel saying is right...you know about the blind squirrel and the nut...never mind.

"Correct, we would be looking for a dungeon" I said.

"I don't think there is one" Noire said.

"But it would make sense" Blanc inputted "perfect thing to hide if I was a betting girl, which I'm not"

"But Noire would know, as it is her land" Vert smiled, and all the CPUs looked at her.

"But I-I mean-that I-is...um-" Noire hung her head in defeat "I don't know" All the others stared at her in amazement. I was puzzled until Neptune spoke up.

"So little Noire, who's always working _alo-one_ didn't even do a good job mapping her own backyard" Neptune was ecstatic.

"That is pretty funny" Vert replied. Even Blanc had a happy face.

"It was right under our noses" I said.

"So what do we do about it?" Nepgear said.

"Well, assuming that this key goes to the temple in Lastation, and assuming that the Dwemer ruins are under it, it is safe to say that it is our next destination" I said.

"Then what are we waiting for" Neptune jumped in action "Let's get us some dragon hide!"

"You ruined it" Noire sighed "You ruined it, and I'm leaving" and she left down the hall.

"Hey, wait up" Neptune followed.

"What did she ruin?" I asked.

"Her pride" Vert said.

One awkward flight later...

This is it. The place where the stupidity really began...Mashtalk...Tauri...

Novu Bromjunaar.

"Are you sure you want us to stay?" Snow-Hunter-Wing asked in the Dov. I looked at them both, at the site of the temple (where they have been staying).

"Someone will have to, in absence of us CPUs" I said "I don't trust that it's over, and our excursion in Tamriel might take a while"

I told the others to look for any indents that could fit claws in the temple while I sorted things out.

"The twins are staying, and those from the Ultra Dimension will take care of managing our countries (including Tauri)" I sighed.

"I don't like it" Ambition-Overlord-Cruelty stated "You're leaving this place wide open"

"I got rid of Miraak, and Lyrica's under tight guard. They deserve this chance"

"So you say" Snow-Hunter-Wing rumbled. I sighed.

I didn't think this would be the worst part, but they have made sound arguments to me, and it does merit some thought.

" _You'll need us, Joshua, you know that"_ Rei told me.

"I can't back down now, not when we have the upper hand" I said.

"And that moment with Alduin, that voice-is that an upper hand?" Ambition-Overlord-Cruelty has a point.

"I need to know what that scroll is, and why everyone's after it" (I told them what happened at the battle of Leanbox).

"Those scrolls are not meant for our eyes"

"I know" I looked at them.

"We found it" Nepgear raced to me.

"Alright, I am coming" I said.

"You better come back"

"That is the plan" I said.

Nepgear took me to the door, as it were. I recognized it immediately. It was a nordic bulkhead. The one where the claw goes in the middle.

"So the ruins are behind this door?" Vert asked.

I looked and saw Noire and Uni arguing in undertones, but I couldn't hear what was being said.

"Joshua" Vert repeated.

"I should think so" I said "But there is one way to find out" Noire and Uni were still arguing.

"Give me the claw" I said

Neptune reluctantly gave it up. I peered at the back, noting the symbols. Blanc stood right next to me.

"This contraption is cool, but what do you do?" she asked.

"You move the symbols on the door in relation to what's on the claw. Some claws don't have the combination, but since they were given to few people, and trusted ones at that, they usually had the combination engraved on the back. It's more or less a glorified key" I moved the symbols to what I saw, while I talked to her.

"That's a bit too much isn't it?" she replied.

"Sometimes, but in my experience, and in this case, it's the kind of guarantee required by the owners of the vaults" I ruffled her hair as the door went into the floor.

I stopped, and so did Noire...and everyone.

In front of us, about twenty feet ahead, was a dwarven arch, or three arches, and a small dwarven device in the center of the circle. It was one of those Nchardak receptacles found in the City of one hundred spires in Solstheim.

"Is that a..." Noire couldn't finish.

"We'll find out, but the Dragon Cult didn't put this here" I said, excited.

I put the Cube into the receptacle, and it lit up and changed color, before the Dwarven roof in the back rose up to a height for an elevator. It was an elevator!

"Not to be a party pooper, but this looks like Noire tech" Neptune said dryly.

"It does not!" she said, sulking "My tech is state of the art, thanks"

"Well, to be fair, its also in ruins" Blanc pointed out.

I was too fascinated to be really into their banter, which was rather playful and refreshing most of the time. This was what I was after...proof that I was right and the fickle dwarves were here. For some reason, Alduin just chose to hide this away, as there was no indication that he had ever used it.

I waited for the others to get into the elevator, and had a hard time pulling the lever without brushing against any of them the wrong way...which I was obviously the only one conscious of that fact. We descended pretty quickly into the Dwarven Bastion, which only served to fuel my excitement.

I might actually, finally be in Tamriel!

" _Don't get ahead of yourself, we have a ways to go"_ Rei reminded me.

When the elevator stopped, Neptune was the first off, ready for a new adventure. I shared her enthusiasm.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you built that contraption Noire" Vert smiled.

"Is everyone going to pick on me now" Noire looked defeated.

"Don't worry Noire!" Neptune smiled deviously "I'll make sure you're super duper picked with my magical fingers" she held her fingers up and wiggled them.

"Neptune..." Nepgear was embarassed.

"That isn't the same, idiot" Blanc chided, and gave Neptune an annoyed look.

I was too interested in the items on the tables and in the cabinents and chests made of that Dwarven Metal to realize they were gone until I didn't hear them anymore.

"Neptune?" I looked around for them, but for naught. That wasn't good.

The Dwarven...colony, yes that's what I'll call it; it wasn't that big, thankfully, but still confusing. All of the automations were smashed or destroyed in some way, which wasn't good, and still I saw no sign of them...

"What is that?" I finally said.

" _That looks like a portal, and it's still operational"_ Rei replied.

"Do you think they went through that?" I asked her.

" _Use your shout; remember that one you used on the ultradimention portal"_ she said.

"MARK THE PRINTS" I 'shouted', and immediately had my answer.

" _It's your fault for not paying attention"_ she said, when I realized the truth.

They had just walked through, probably too excited to realize I wasn't with them. I sighed, and turned around when I heard a tea kettle whistle.

Apparently there was still an automation working.

" _Joshua, what is that?"_ Rei asked, concerned.

"That is probably what made them run into the portal" I replied, alert "We're looking at a Dwarven Centurion"

And if I was right, I think they just got scared by the noise, with it being dark and all...or something else happened.

Either way, this should be an interesting fight.


	44. Chapter 44

The Centurion punched me into the ground, and blew steam at me...yeah, the steam frigging hurt. If I wasn't a CPU, I probably would've lost my face. I jumped up, and summoned my staff. The damn thing may not hurt it physically, but the lightning attack might damage it.

The thing about Centurions is that they are powered by a Centurion Dynamo Core. At its core, a CDC (heh, get it?) has a red crystal of unknown origin that is the power source for the rest of the Core, which continuously spins kind of like a heart continuously beats.

I have no idea if electricity or another source of energy is generated to power the Dwarven Centurions from the core or not...and if it doesn't, then electrocuting it may not serve to kill the damn thing.

" _Joshua, would you get out of that monologue of yours?"_ Rei said, as she took over fighting " _You're being awfully distracted by this thing"_

" _Yeah I know"_ I said " _I was just going over what I know to try to kill the Automation"_

"And that's going real well" she punched the Centurion in the face, which probably didn't hurt that much, we're talking about a metal elf with flamethrowers in the shoulders and steam coming out the arms.

It did, however, serve to anger the contraption.

"n-not-good" Rei moaned as the thing punched me into the wall.

" _Electricity can hurt it, but does as much damage as hitting it with my stick"_ I said.

"It-its called a staff" Rei held her-my stomach. She transformed, pissed.

"This thing dares-" she couldn't finish; HDD being a huge factor on her personality.

She dashed towards the Centurion and ripped off the arm.

" _Why didn't I think of that?"_ I sighed, and Rei laughed.

"You were too busy with yourself" she said manically "I do not have that problem"

She raised a hand to the one armed man-Centurion and blasted it with an EXE attack.

It got back up and charged her; to which Rei dodged and bashed it in the head with her fist.

"I've never been to a rodeo before" her voice was mixed with mine "Does the little bull man want a ride?"

It whirled around; whistling like a tea kettle and looking murderous.

" _Now you're just messing around"_ I said, trying not to picture Rei Ryghts riding anything " _Can we finish this thing off and get to where the others are?"_

"Those Playdate units?" she cocked her head as the automation used its flamethrowers; to which she dodged by flying over it "They are such a pain...fine, I'll destroy this thing"

She raised her hand and black energy formed in a ball.

" _What are you doing?"_ I asked, concerned.

"I'm doing what you asked" she snickered as the black ball of energy hit the automation and paralyzed it.

"Why don't you explode?" she asked coyly; and I watched the damn thing get ripped apart in an explosion.

I looked dumbly for a second, until I found that I was in control of my body again. I deactivated HDD and sighed.

"You went a little overboard" I said to her.

" _s-sorry"_ she sounded embarrassed.

I laughed softly, and walked through the portal.

The other side didn't really seem that different, except the dwemer sort of built a bunker in Gameindustri before they left mundus. The place I was in was a tower...one of the towers of Nchardak.

" _So this is Tamriel?"_ Rei asked me.

"Yes it is; more specifically in the island of Solstheim" I took the cube out of the receptacle, and the portal turned off.

" _You think that was wise?"_ Rei asked me.

"I don't want some hapless fool getting to Gameindustri" I told her "And its better if the local bandits don't find this place"

My greatest concern at the moment was finding the others; and leave it to Bethesda to get Nchardak wrong...the place was different somewhat than what was displayed in the game. I had to keep in mind that the game was Bethesda's creation and the world was as well, which made this seem real odd considering-this is an actual world with an actual existence.

Anyway, what I know of Nchardak is that it was a city that was able to be completely submerged-yes, like Atlantis from that Sci-Fi hit television series. It also provided the Dwemer with its army during the battle of Red Mountain, and had an extensive Dwarven Archive (and considered the most advanced of the Dwemer Cities).

What I liked about it was that I loved exploring Dwemer Ruins in-game and in terms of what I was fascinated by, well this place didn't disappoint.

What I didn't like was the fact that this place was a bigger frigging maze than the Gameindustri version.

I walked through the halls unimpeded, as if there weren't any traps. I passed through old work halls, that even the Dwemer had stopped using before they disappeared. I thought that was odd, but then again, all my information came from a video game.

"Joshua Andrew, I presume" I looked above on a balcony that I haven't been able to get to.

"You know of me, which means you are probably an enemy" I said.

The Dark Elf looked pleased with himself.

"That would be correct" he grinned "This'll be fun; but I must confess that I was puzzled when the others came through like he said they would, and you weren't with them. I mean, it doesn't matter in the end I suppose"

"You were expecting us?" I inwardly groaned, of course I would be expected "So where are the others?"

"My men have taken care of them" the elf pressed a button "I was told to give you a message. So if you'd be so obliging"

He took out a piece of paper and opened it.

" _Your life is forfeit, your power is lost to you, and her body is mine"_ he looked at me and shrugged "I didn't know what it said to be honest with you. I don't want any of them myself"

Whoever this disembodied voice belonged to was the one giving the orders. This Reaver Lord was only the messenger.

I looked above, resolute to destroy this pain and any others.

"Well, it's been fun" he tinkered with another button on what I believed was a Dwemer terminal of some kind "But I have to kill you now"

" _Joshua, what is he doing?"_ Rei asked me.

"He's going to flood us" I said, getting ready "We need to find away out of here"

The mechanisms on the walls opened to empty their water contents.

I had to get out of here.

The Dark Elf laughed as the balcony shut, and the room started filling up.

I ran to the nearest hallway, where more water was pouring out of a pipe. I was now running through the corridors as the water filled them, even when I ran up the stairs, more mechanisms activated.

"You know" the Reaver Lord mocked from somewhere I couldn't pinpoint "The fickle Dwarves decided to use this part of the City as a prison of sorts. If there was a prisoner out of line, they would all die by drowning"

I clenched my teeth as another section of the city began filling up.

"Too bad you can't get past the gates to the rest of the City" Ironic that I was getting near some kind of gate "even with magic, you are out of luck"

I shouted 'Unrelenting Force', and the gates fell in.

Water spilled into what looks like a housing quarter. Why the Dwemer built a housing district right next to a prison is beyond me, seriously.

"You can't be serious" the Reaver Lord sighed "Well, it's not like we're using this area anyway"

What I want to know is where is Neptune and the others?

" _Focus on not drowning"_ Rei said " _I can't believe you've forgotten, but you can fly!"_

"Yes, I can" I said "But this was the first open area"

Indeed this was the biggest area I've come across since getting through the portal. I looked at the water pouring inside and groaned. This guy is literally trying to drown me.

I ran to the stairs I saw across the street and went up to the second level. Dwemer automations popped out of their pipes.

"Oh come on!" I said, and dodged the arrows from the Dwarven Spheres. Dwarven Spiders by the droves were after me with their lightning attacks.

"Face it, Joshua" the Reaver Lord mocked "You can't escape your fate"

"If I ever get near this guy, he's going down" I muttered as I shot them all with lightning from my staff.

More automations appeared, but were swept away by the rising water levels. This really reminded me of the movie _The Titanic._ Now that movie was sad.

There were more stairs leading to the top of the cavern, and to the next area, for which I was grateful. I turned to a balcony that I didn't see, and realized that the whole cavern was filled to the brim. There was no sign of that Reaver Lord. I sighed.

" _That was okay"_ Rei sighed " _We survived"_

"You mean that was anti-climatic" I stated, and wiped the water off me "Now if I could only get to ther-aggghhh"

I screamed as I was shot down a pipe.

"This is not my day!" this really wasn't what I thought my first day in Tamriel would be.

" _This isn't mine either, you know"_

"Sorry Rei, but I'm really freaking ready to kill this guy!" I screamed as I was taken down the pipe at speeds you couldn't get in a water park.

Finally I could see a light.

"We're getting closer to the end!' I said, excited.

I finally popped out of the pipe and landed on dry ground. I got up, and saw three Reavers draw their swords.

"Okay, that's it" I transformed and brandished my HDD staff "Any of you who tell me where that Reaver guy is gets to live"

They all looked at me dumbstruck and fearful, and one ran away. I shot lightning at him from my staff and killed him.

"Anyone else?" I asked.

"Joshua!" Nepgear yelled from behind. I glanced at the girls, who were behind the gate. They looked like they just got there.

"I'm here Nepgear" I heard the gate break easily and they rushed up behind me, making me smile "So, are you ready to give up yet?" I asked them.

They threw down their swords, and knelt on the ground. I walked in HDD with Nepgear on myt left and Noire on my right.

"Now I'm only going to ask this one more time?" I said softly "Where is your boss?"


	45. Chapter 45

Okay, Lesson one...threats do wonders for society. Lesson two, however...ask for directions.

"I think we're lost" Neptune declared. How did she become a goddess again?

"Yes, Neptune, I know we're lost" Noire sighed.

"This is really your fault, Joshua" Vert added.

"None of you decided to ask either" I retorted.

"That's because you were doing just fine" Blanc said.

"This place is wonderful" Nepgear's inventory is most likely full as a result of the city's attempts at killing us (she's taking too much machine parts).

"Did you hit your head, Nepgear?" Uni asked. Long story short, her and her sister are not talking. I wasn't paying attention at all to their argument earlier in Gameindustri, but Noire had asked Uni to stay behind...to which she refused. The fight somehow escalated while I was-

" _You mean I was beating that Centurion"_ Rei pointed out. Good point...

-she was fighting that Centurion-

" _Thank you"_ she said.

Can you let me finish?

" _s-sorry Joshua"_ she said, embarrassed.

"No I didn't hit my head, Uni" Nepgear inadvertently interrupted my thoughts "You know how much I like machines"

I sighed. That was an understatement.

I'm not going to bother finishing that portion of my thoughts; better to focus on the task at hand, and that was getting out of here.

Speaking of which-

"Joshua, I think this is an elevator" Noire pointed to the elevator. Yes, Noire that is an elevator.

"So who wants to try it?" I asked, looking at the CPUs. No one seemed inclined for whatever reason.

"Fine" I sighed "I'll try it, and if I see anything interesting, I'll come back for you"

"I'll go with you!" Neptune volunteered "This'll be fun"

"Neptune, try not to break the elevator while you both are gone" Blanc warned.

"Aww, does little Blanny fear for Joshie's life" Neptune mocked. Joshie? She didn't.

Before I could stop her, Neptune pulled the lever...that was the wrong lever Neptune.

"Neptune, Wait!" I yelled, but too late.

Dwarven Balistiae and Centurions appeared seemingly out of nowhere and attacked Nepgear and the others while Neptune and I went up the self activating elevator.

"I didn't touch anything else" Neptune looked at me with worry.

We ascended said elevator and ended up in a room I did recognize. It was the bottom of the boiler control room for the reading room above. I don't remember an elevator being down here, but then again...there was a tower at the bottom in-game.

"I actually didn't think you'd fall for that" the Dark Elf chuckled "Or is that little girl really stupid"

"Hey, that's not a nice thing to say to a lady" Neptune defended.

The Reaver Lord stared at us from the bottom two control pedestals above us. That wasn't good.

"You-a lady?" he chuckled some more "Please...I've seen younger shrews look older than you and try twice as hard to act like a 'lady'"

"I'll have you know that thousands of fans think otherwise" Neptune bragged "I am a proper woman"

"Your breast size is a little lacking and you're dressed to be easy access" he waved his hand "If I didn't know any better, that man next to you has-"

"Oh, you didn't just go there mister!" Neptune held up a finger "I happen to be one hundred percent Nep-pure and that means-"

Okay,why are we even discussing this?

" _Maybe it's what highwaymen do?"_ Rei suggested.

"-fact that I can see your underpants from here speaks volumes girly" the Reaver Lord finished, smug.

"You-you" Neptune pointed her finger shakily "You poophead!"

Are they in love or something?

" _You can always ask her"_ Rei said.

"You know Neptune" I sighed "He has a point-at least when it comes to you and Nepgear's choice of dress"

Seriously, if I was a pervert, I would stare at those forbidden things all day.

" _That is being a pervert, Joshua"_ Rei pouted.

"Good to know" I said, scratching my head.

"You know what!" Neptune transformed "You both have really ticked me off" Purple Heart brandished her sword "You're lucky we're on the same side, Joshua"

And that was the first time I heard her say my name.

Purple Heart launched herself at the Reaver Lord before I could even think about stopping her.

"I'd think twice before you attack me" he said just as she was about to swing her sword "One press of this button and your friends drown" he was referring to the pedestal that he had a cube hovering over.

"You have talked about forbidden things long enough, bad guy" even in HDD she still says childish things; albeit with a maturer voice and a serious expression. She really is cute in that form.

"Neptune, stop his hands" I screamed-and too late.

Water started flowing out of the pipes above us. I ran to the ramp, even as the water filled the place up faster than I remembered.

"This'll stop you!" the Reaver Lord declared, and a dozen Dwarven Spheres appeared out of a little sister looking pipe (yeah, Bethesda modeled them after those iconic Bioshock things).

I summoned my staff as Purple Heart rushed to save me.

"Joshua, watch out!" She attacked the automations behind me; but my attention was on the Reaver Lord currently escaping.

"Neptune, can you handle these?" I asked quickly.

She looked at me and smiled.

"Go and get that panty watching pervert" Purple Heart turned to the automations "I'll handle these, and try not to drown"

"Thanks" and I ran after that idiot elf.

Fortunately I was faster than he was, and jumped to the elevator. He pulled out a sword from his waist and kicked the lever on the elevator.

We exchanged blows as the elevator went up, each being able to parry the others attacks. I held back because I wanted answers from this inconvenient moron, and he tried to make the blasted fight interesting.

"I really don't know how you made a lot of people mad at you, Joshua" he said as we fought "But you're on a 'most wanted dead' list-in a way that I'll never be"

"To tell you the truth it's a long story" and I'm really not interested in just how many people I pissed off "But I'd say you went all out in ticking me off on a 'trying really hard not to kill you' list which actually has very few names written on it. Lately I've killed everyone who annoyed me as much as you" Except for Miraak and the dimension I threw him in-and Lady Lyrica who still garners sympathy in the eyes of the CPUs...and I suppose there is Hermaeus Mora who I really can't kill.

Okay, so I killed most of my enemies; happy now?

" _Not really"_ Rei replied.

Well this douche Bag didn't need to know that.

We were fighting in the reading room now, which was kind of cool because this was one of my favorite parts in the Dragonborn DLC questline.

I pushed him back.

"It's over, Reaver Lord" I said, pointing his sword at him (I had disarmed him) "And now you're going to tell me what I want to know"

"You don't have anyone here to back you up on that" he laughed and the door to the outside opened up, bringing in about a dozen Reavers. The elevator activated as well, and went back down, presumably to bring more people up.

"I don't think it matters if you have a hundred guys with you" I transformed, letting Rei's power run through me "I'll kill every last one of them"

The funny thing is, the Reavers for the most part became scared when they saw me go HDD. I don't think I'll have to kill many of them before they leave me alone.

"That is an interesting ability you have there" he crossed his arms in victory "Sorry to say, though-you're out of luck"

" _He's actually underestimating us"_ Rei said, manically " _I think that's funny"_

"I was never one to rely on luck" I said, getting ready to kill these guys.

"Well, ain't that a shame" he responded "Get'em boys"

And the Reavers attacked.

I mowed ten of them down before the others backed off. The Reaver Lord took the sword of the nearest minion and lunged at me as the elevator reached our level.

I parried his attack and went for a side swipe, which he had blocked with his sword's flat side. He went for a vertical attack and I kicked his knee out.

"Agghhh" he yelled "That hurts bad"

"You shouldn't have underestimated me" Rei said, and picked up the Reaver Lord.

"y-you sound l-like a girl" he tried to laugh.

"That's because you're not talking to Joshua anymore" Rei squeezed his neck "Now you will answer my questions and maybe I'll let you live"

"You're I-insane" he spurted.

"That light bulb just turned on?" she laughed, and my voice was mixed with hers "I thought you were a reckless idiot, but you just proved me wrong. Points for trying"

She slammed him on the floor, and the Reavers backed away even farther than before.

"First question" she said "How the hell do you know his name?"

"Whose?" he asked stupidly.

This might take awhile.

" _You think?" I said "He might not even know who sent him"_

Good point.

"You're playing stupid?" she broke his arm.

"Unnngggaahhh" he yelled "s-stop, I kn-know what you want"

"And I suggest you tell me then" Rei withdrew her other hand "I'm waiting"

"I-I was given a name a-and a-a image o-f-of you" he said "Th-they took m-me to a p-place with -metal walls an-and possessed d-d-oors"

"Wow, that sounds futuristic" Neptune said.

Rei-or I looked up and saw them (the point of view is hazy here).

"So the CPUs finally show up" Rei smiled my smile "I thought you had drowned or something"

"We almost did!" Noire said pointedly "If Neptune didn't come back for us, we might have"

"But that doesn't excuse the fact that she was mostly responsible for that situation" Blanc said "She needs to get her head out of her ass"

"I'm not even sure you can stick your head in your butt" Neptune retorted "And Joshua did tell me to pull the lever!"

"Actually I never said a word about the lever" I said, and sighed. I'm me again.

"I thought you said you weren't Joshua?" the Reaver Lord asked, momentarily forgetting his broken arm...which I have no idea how; his bone is literally sticking out of his skin.

"I do believe everyone forgot about getting information" Vert sighed.

"I didn't forget" Nepgear inputted.

"She wasn't talking about you, Nepgear" Uni said.

"Joshua is right" Noire said "You pulled the lever on your own power"

"B-But how was I to know that it was booby trapped" Neptune emphasized booby.

"Neptune...did you just say booby?" Nepgear inquired.

"And what's wrong with saying booby" Vert bounced her tits.

"Oh. Don't you start that crap again!" Blanc has the evil eye.

"Where is Plutia when you need her?" Uni put her head in her hands.

"Is it always like this?" the Reaver Lord asked.

"This is the first time their banter has interrupted an interrogation" I shrugged "I don't think they're always like this"

"I just think a little maturity should mix in with childish behavior every once in awhile" Vert bounced her breasts again.

"That's it" Blanc transformed "There isn't any Plutia to save you now!"

"I concur" Green Heart already transformed "Let's settle this"

"Guys" I said "If you fight in here, then you'll destroy our way home"

They didn't appear to have heard me. I turned back to the Reaver Lord.

"Next question" I cringed as the shock-wave of their fight hit me "Who sent you to find me?"

He hissed at his pain...so he remembered it, then?

"You better make it fast, if you want your minions to survive their fight" I said.

"I-It was a man named Admiral Tarnac" he cried.

" _So who the hell is this Tarnac person?"_ Rei asked me.

I have no idea.

"So what do we do with him?" Noire asked me.

"We need them all gone from this place" I said "If they find a way, they'll stop us from getting out of here"

"Any idea as to who this admiral guy is?" Nepgear asked.

"I have no idea" I said "But it's safe to say he was expecting us"

That disembodied voice might have been behind this...I suppose it's something to think about.


	46. Chapter 46

The fight between Green Heart and White Heart didn't destroy their way back thankfully; although it did serve to keep the remaining Reavers away from us on our way out…not that we particularly needed that distraction.

" _Joshua, are you seeing this?_ " Rei asked me; and I understood the meaning behind her question. Of course I saw this but…I was in shock.

"I wasn't expecting airships" Vert pointed out "The way you made it sound, Joshua, was that these people lived in some sort of technological dark age"

I would have to agree with the CPU of Leanbox. The skies of Solstheim had only ash and rock when I viewed them in the video game. Bethesda clearly forgot to mention the Star Destroyers that invaded them.

"This shouldn't be real" I finally said "Waking up in another world is one thing, crossing two different genres of fiction is an entirely different scenario"

"Joshua" Nepgear looked worried and awed at the same time, which was a unique look to be sure "What are those things?"

"Star Destroyers" I told her "Weapons of the Galactic Empire. Why they exist here, I don't know. They were created by a movie writer from my world-in a similar fashion to how this place was Bethesda's and you all belong to Ideal Factory…in my world anyway"

 _"_ _Perhaps this has everything to do with that disembodied voice of yours and that Elder Scroll Herma Mora was looking for"_ Rei pointed out rather sagely. Yes, I definitely believe this is more than mere coincidence. But I know someone who may have answers.

"If this is the Solstheim I know" I said "Master Neloth lives in that giant mushroom over there. The Telvanni may be narcissistic and proud, but they have good reason to be"

"That guy we saw in Apocrypha?" Uni asked, surprised "He lives here?"

"He lives there" I pointed to the giant fungus "But unlike the beauty of Lowee, this mushroom isn't to be trifled with. Neloth may be rude to you, but he also is extremely intelligent-I wouldn't piss him off" I looked at the CPU's with me "It's better if you don't show off that you have your power, and I'm not talking about just Neloth. The Nords are paternal in nature, and hate magic in all it's forms. Be grateful we ended up in Morrowind first"

"Joshua, stop talking and let's get going already" Noire pushed me forward "If those things above are connected to your world, then they won't like us prancing around. I say we find Alduin and end him; and leave whatever's above us alone"

"I agree" Vert nodded "My people come first-haste is necessary"

"Right" I said, and began the trek to Tel Mithryn.

Thankfully we didn't aggravate any Ash Spawn.

When Master Neloth saw me ascend the tower, he was pleasantly surprised…but that quickly turned to annoyed when he saw everyone who came with me. The tower became cramped with everyone present, and he was quick to point out the unpleasantness of his restrictive movement.

"While I gave you an invitation to visit me in Apocrypha; I hardly meant that invitation to go out to your friends here, Joshua Andrew" he gave me a piercing glance "Yet I suspect you're not here for a social call, then. Out with it"

"When did those ships appear?" I asked him immediately.

"The day before yesterday" he sighed, finding the question a bother "After the first one arrived in Skyrim, the rest followed, weapons blazing. I found the whole thing a complete waste of my time after I found out what they're all here for, and I won't bother telling you what it is and how I found out-will you leave my things alone, blasted girl!" he yelled at Neptune who was touching everything she could get her hands on.

"Nepu! Joshua, he screamed at me!" she jumped in surprise.

"Of course he screamed at you, idiot" Blanc chastised her "You're messing up his work"

Neloth immediately ignored them, and went into his study.

"I suspect you want passage to the mainland" he came out with a device of sorts "I want your entourage out of my hair; but nothing I do is ever without benefit to myself"

"Let me guess" Uni said "You want us to do something for you?"

"Ah, it seems your friends aren't completely hopeless" he said sarcastically "Yes, silly girl, I want you to do something. She's been giving me headaches, but I'm too busy with my experiments to deal with her. You know of whom I speak, Andrew, and where she's hiding. Eliminate her for me, and I'll get you the passage you were going to ask me about to the fools living on rocks" he handed me the device "I want this back, so don't break it"

"You expect us to do something-and yet won't give us a shred of information to complete such a quest?" Vert looked slighted.

"I don't expect to do all the work, that would be counterproductive" Neloth said superiorly "And next time, Joshua" he looked at me, annoyed "Keep the rabble away, I have no time to entertain hopelessness. Now if you don't have another pointless question, Highpoint Tower awaits"

He waved us away. As soon as we exited the Tower, I sighed.

 _"_ _Eccentric much?"_ Rei asked me, and I laughed internally. No more than yourself, Rei.

"That went well" Vert said sarcastically.

"I told you guys" I said unabashedly "If you only listened"

"He didn't have to treat us like that" Neptune moaned "I wasn't doing anything wrong"

"Sis" Nepgear shook her head.

"Neptune, I'm not even going to grace that with an answer" Noire sighed "The man's a jerk, but you were touching his stuff"

"Where exactly are we going anyway?" Blanc asked me, her gaze marvelously on mine "That creep acted like he saw the future, or something"

"He just has a black book" I explained "And it was a similar one to mine in the fact that it was about me" I really don't want to waste time trying to explain away Neloth, anyway.

 _"_ _Of course you don't"_

I'm not lying.

"Highpoint Tower is our destination" I said "He is right about a lot of things. The only boat to the mainland has a fare of 250 gold per person-I only have enough for me and one other, so be happy he's even doing this for us. Our target's name is Ildari Sarothril, who was his apprentice before he killed her"

"K-Killed her?" Nepgear squeaked.

"It's a long story" I said "And not really relevant to the task at hand"

"So we're cleaning up that jerk's mess?" Uni asked, pissed "I almost don't want to do it"

"If you just listened to me, Uni, then you wouldn't even be here" Noire couldn't keep that situation quiet anymore.

"But Noire-" Uni's retort was cut off by an explosion, and a Tie Fighter barreling towards Vvardenfell. That shut everyone up.

"I'd wager we don't have time" I said softly as it disappeared in the smoke of Red Mountain "Or the place to be having this conversation, Noire"

"I'd listen to him, Noire" Neptune said sagely.

"Shut up, Neptune" she sighed.

Highpoint Tower looked just like it did in the game; with the exception of the increase in Ash Spawn. And when I say increase I mean-

"Look out Joshua!" Blanc pushed me out of the way as a fireball landed where I was just reminiscing "Look out for yourself, Dunce cap" she pummeled the Spawn into dust with her hammer.

 _"_ _Serves you right, Joshua"_ Rei said madly _"I almost had to lift my finger"_

"What even are these things?" Noire complained "I'm all covered in this dust, and they just keep coming"

"I actually have no idea what they are" I told them, as I searched for that blasted hole where the entrance is-always had trouble finding it, even in the game "They are activated by Heartstones that spewed out of Red Mountain in the initial eruption. Who knows, they may still be thrown out of them as we speak" I sighed exasperatedly "Where the hell is this hole?"

Another explosion lit the dimming sky, it was almost night.

"Whatever you're trying to do, do it fast" Vert commented needlessly "That battle in the skies has me worried"

Before I could even comment on what I was doing, Neptune gave a cry.

"I-I think I found it!" she was excited "I fell into it, literally. I feel so awesome"

We went over to where she was yelling from and I nodded.

"Good work, Neptune" I remarked, and took the lead. Time to find that annoying Dark Elf.

"Stay close to me, and no HDD" I told them, and used my Magicka for a magelight "She tends to keep prisoners for experimentation, and the needless use of energy might bury us in the ground. That won't be good"

Getting to Ildari wasn't so bad…I mean there was the usual enemies, which my friends from Gameindustri were only just getting used to fighting, but other than that-we were too focused for the banter that usually pervades us. Ildari on the other hand, now she was a bitch.

She kept ambushing us every thirty feet or so, spouting nonsense and summoning Ash Guardians…you know, the same damn thing almost that you find in the game.

That was where I underestimated her.


	47. Chapter 47

"I'm really getting pissed off" Blanc had the evil eye "This bitch has us running rampant"

"I really have to agree" Vert said curtly "We're just fueling her rage"

"We're going in circles" Uni huffed, annoyed "If she'd just stay put for a few seconds, I'd already be on her"

I didn't realize how different Highpoint Tower really was until we had gotten lost. It was so close to the layout in the DLC that I had wantonly led us in a trap. It was annoying in itself, but luckily I was able to brush it off as a trick of Ildari; after all, she was an apprentice of Neloth, and as…touchy as he is, he is a powerful mage. All the Telvanni were, actually.

 _"_ _That fool doesn't hold a candle to our real power"_ Rei sounded a bit seductive herself, as power always was _"I'm not lying, Joshua"_

Of course you aren't.

"She can't keep this up forever" Noire pointed out "If I was in the lead, we'd already have her"

"Joshua, we aren't lost, are we?" Nepgear asked, tentatively.

"It would be just like him to get us stuck in a labyrinth" Neptune said airily "I mean, he did it before"

"We aren't lost, Nepgear" I said, not entirely truthfully "And if you'd all just be quiet for a moment, she'd be easier to spot"

"If you say so" Noire sounded unconvinced "I knew I should have brought my portable sonic mapper"

"Do I even want to know why you have something like that?" I retorted.

"Noire just can't keep herself from getting lost and alone in all those caves she frequents" Neptune snickered "Isn't that right Noire?"

"I-I-I do not get lost" she spluttered.

Sure, Noire, Sure.

I suddenly stopped amidst their banter; at Ildari and her rotten smile. She had a bow in her hand, and an Atronach behind her.

"I'm afraid you're too late to stop this, Challenger" she sneered in my direction "You shouldn't have agreed to help _him"_

There was a cry behind me, and as I turned, Uni fell to the ground.

"Uni" Noire didn't quite register what happened to her sister until the CPU candidate started convulsing "Uni! Uni, nononononono, UNI!"

"You've never employed that underhanded tactic before, Sarothril" I turned to her, suddenly on high alert as she pointed another arrow at Noire. That seemed to stop her a bit.

"My benefactor did say you were more knowledgeable than you should be" she admitted "But if I recall, the information you have of me is that I'm an insane Elf, desperate to kill my former master. The me from that _world,_ challenger, wouldn't have used a bow with poisoned arrows"

There was a flash of light, and Black Heart lurched towards her with a strangled yell.

"Noire!" I yelled, alarmed, as she just managed to get an arrow stuck in her as well, before her blade smashed into the ceiling with the full force of a pissed off CPU. This wasn't good.

The ruins of the tower shook terribly, as Ildari Sarothril laughed manically.

"Now two of your friends need saving, Challenger" she said delighted, as Highpoint Tower began to fall apart "Enjoy your brilliant tomb" In a swirl of Ash, she disappeared. Very much not like the game.

"We have to get out of here!" I yelled as Noire screamed in anger, dust and ash and rocks falling all around her "Noire! Let's go, before you both are beyond saving!"

 _"_ _Joshua, this escalated fast!"_ Rei said warningly _"She's been toying with us this whole time"_

What do you want me to do about it?

I grabbed Uni, yanking the arrow out, as the back passage collapsed. This was truly the scariest situation I have ever been in. There's no way…I can't get everyone out in time!

We moved through the collapsing corridors as more Ash from the surface threatened to bury us; Uni getting paler and paler as we ran.

The whole damn thing was falling on us, just from Noire's attack. I don't know much about rocks but I'd wager she picked the weakest point in these tunnels.

 _"_ _And the poison?"_ Rei asked me _"Is-Is there a c-cure?"_

Don't get nervous on me now, Rei, this is not the time!

"The Skaal would have a cure" I said out loud, as we ascended a ramp of sorts.

"The place is blocked by a wall!" Neptune complained.

"You're a CPU for goodness sake" I screamed at her "Break it! What do we have to lose at this point?"

Noire threw her aside and crashed through it with enough force to knock the passage behind me to the ground. We burst through at the last moment, luckily, I suppose. I didn't get the time to even think about luck before Noire ripped her sister out of my arms and cradled her ailing body in the gloom of night. Obviously being a CPU didn't excuse us from poison.

"I was careless" I said gruffly.

"N-not even a day on this wasteland, and I may lose the only one I have left" Black Heart hugged the poor girl as my attention turned to the figure above the ruined tower.

"You only have yourself to blame" Ildari said daringly from above us.

Black Heart regarded the mage with pure hatred.

"How dare you show your face in front of me!" she countered with spite.

I need to get Black Heart's attention enough to point her where to fly.

 _"_ _W-Would the S-Skaal help strangers?"_ Rei asked me.

"They don't strike me as the type to turn away someone on Death's door" but I have already been wrong on several accounts, with regards to Solstheim. I turned to Black Heart "There is a way to save her, Noire; and you as well"

All eyes were on me, now, even Sarothril's. I kept Black Heart's gaze only.

"There is a village to the North of us. Find it and ask for Frea; tell her you're both poisoned. You _can_ make it there, right?"

"I will make it there" she held her sister to her, and ascended, careful to watch Ildari.

I hope Frea finds it within her to help them.

"What are we going to do?" Nepgear asked, after Noire left.

"I think it's our turn to sit this one out, Nep Jr." Neptune held her hand.

"Then who's going to fight that bitch?" Blanc was ready for blood "I'm not going to sit here and _watch_ as he puts up boss flags around himself"

"If there are too many in this fight" Vert looked thoughtful "We'll just trip over ourselves. There is something wrong with this woman, I can sense that at least. Joshua supposedly has done this before; I vote we let him try"

"Vert, that also puts up death flags" Neptune pointed out "Maybe this is the chance to test the Lily rank of our friend from afar and his maiden from the castle"

"Neptune, that whole sentence was a death flag" Nepgear scolded "Look at Blanc's face-what the goodness"

Blanc had the evil eye.

"Neptune, you idiot! We do not have a Lily rank" she summoned her hammer.

I have no idea what's going on right now.

"Do you always gabber away stupidly when death stares at you in the face?" Ildari asked, surprisingly curious "Or are you stalling because of my might?"

"Shut up!" Blanc pointed at her "You're already dead"

"Hey, Blanc?" I asked, and she glared at me "What's a Lily rank?"

"None of your business, that's what" she turned to the enemy "Are we going to talk forever, or is this thing going to die…again?"

She screamed-and transformed.

"I don't give a rats ass if a bunch of fools see the real me" White Heart said "No one kills Noire but me. Ildari; for bringing my friend to tears, I'll rip your heart from your body and feed it to you in pieces!" she gives me another glance "Get your ass in gear or get out of my way"

With that she flew towards Sarothril and smashed the bit of tower that the Dark Elf once stood upon. It shattered into bits; and White Heart used the momentum to use her "Tanzerin Trombe!"

I stared at her in shock as she didn't let up once-didn't give the former apprentice enough room to breathe, much less attack.

"Gefahrlichtern"

"Zerstorung"

"Die! Die! Die!" she threw Ildari in the air, and in the same manner that I would normally do she put her hand in the air "Enjoy Oblivion Hündin! EXE ATTACK: HARD BREAK"

She proceeded to move in such a way that all time and space ceased its rotation; the very act of destroying Ildari utterly was…beautiful was the only word for it.

She just hovered in the air; arm covered in blood, her eyes seemed to only pierce mine.

This was the anger of Lowee…

This was what happened when she was really pissed…

This was her showing no mercy…

I shook myself.

It looked more and more like Aurora; seemed like the girl who single handedly brought us up that tower in Apocrypha. I mean, I know I've seen her in action before this but…

I turned to Nepgear, and she seemed to understand all to well. She nodded.

"If you're done acting surprised" White Heart remarked, flicking off the gore as if it were nothing "We've got two friends who might not have made it to that village, Joshua"

"Right" I said, going HDD myself "We'll fly low, so we're not easily spotted. It's this way" I pointed in the direction Noire flew in, as White Heart descended to my location.

This was going to be a long night.

 _"_ _It's your own fault for not joining in"_ Rei said _"That was the first time you let a Play-date Unit fight for you. I'm disappointed"_

I just hope Noire and Uni are okay, and that Blanc doesn't pummel me.

"We're waiting, Joshua" Purple Heart flew up to me as well, trailed by Green Heart and Purple Sister "Or is it Rei Ryghts now?"

"And what if it is?" Rei asked, mockingly "I'll go when I'm ready, thank you very much"

 _"_ _Just don't turn me back into a girl"_ I said, as I let her take over for awhile _"There's too much at stake right now"_

She only laughed in response.

"You know, Blanc" Rei looked at her "If you didn't look so pissed, I'd say you were showing off-and after acting all high and mighty, did it feel good to crush that pathetic fool's skull?"

"Give me a reason" she looked at me with revulsion for the first time "He's the only thing keeping me from finishing what you started in Planeptune"

"Such a cowardly response" Rei laughed some more "I honestly don't know what he see's in you-in any of you whorish CPUs. But enough of my stalling, we have more Playdates to keep alive"

She flew towards what I hoped would be Noire's and Uni's antidote; and what I secretly wanted to see with my own eyes. Despite everything that's happened, I still love the fact that Tamriel exists.

Don't piss her off anymore than she already is, Rei!

Laughter followed that thought through the night.


	48. Chapter 48

Skaal Village was a smoldering ruin. Rei descended, followed by the others, who all had the look of shock and anger on their face. Something happened, perhaps just before Noire showed up here…if she showed up here. Maybe it happened afterwards, but that wasn't the point. The Skaal looked pretty wiped out as a people, and it didn't sit well with me; or any of the others for that matter.

"What could have done this?" Green Heart was the first to respond, her HDD staff poking through a pile of wood.

"Uni!" Purple Sister called, worriedly "Noire! Uni!"

"Something about this doesn't sit well with me" Purple Heart said needlessly, until she remarked with "This is too much to be a coincidence"

"For once Scatterbrain is right" White Heart replied "We've been attacked almost as soon as we arrived here, and it hasn't let up. This shit almost never happens, even with Rei Ryghts and the Deity of Sin…not like this"

Purple Sister never stopped calling for Noire and Uni.

"Noire! Please, if you can hear me, call out! Uni! Someone answer!" her voice seemed to rise an octave.

"It seems someone beat us to the punch" Rei stabbed a dead rabbit with her staff "For some inconceivable reason, this underhanded tactic annoys me"

"N-Nep…Nepgear?" a voice called out, from across the village "Is…that you?"

"Noire!" Purple Sister flew over to the noise and cleared the area of debris "Oh, Noire"

She quickly called for us all to come over, as Black Sister brokenly tried to stand up.

"Uni-ahh" she held her side, while Purple Sister supported the rest of her "Where…is my… little sister?"

"What happened here?" Purple Heart asked, quickly "Did you see who did this?"

"A…nightmarish creature, h-he had others" she gasped for breath "Sucked the HP… right out of me. Please…please find…Uni-Ahk" she couldn't stand anymore and collapsed, ending her HDD.

"What kind of creatures are capable of this, Joshua?" Green Heart asked "If that is you currently"

It wasn't me controlling me, but I was just as lost as they were. It stands to reason that the only things that could interact with the environment in the video game-

"We're not in a video game anymore" her voice was mixed with mine.

Dragons…didn't do this. Looks like them, but they don't 'suck the life' right out of people-preferring destruction over such…

 ** _"_** ** _Vampires"_** we said in unison.

"Look for any bodies" I was me again "Anything with pinholes in them is a cause for concern"

The Vampires found in _Skyrim_ were unique among the mythos surrounding those beings. Even more so than the rest of the Elder Scrolls. Given that we ended up in Tamriel and are fighting enemies mostly found in the game, this would have been an issue at some point; if not now. The thing that irks me about all of this is that nothing I expected about this place and situation matches what I witnessed in the game, but was familiar enough to where I could use my 'skills' to aid us.

So either Bethesda got their own creations wrong, or…what? What is the similarity that ties everything we've been through since coming here? It can't be happenstance, and with all the George Lucas creations in the sky; it probably wasn't normal either.

"Joshua, I found something" Purple Sister called; she had left Noire by Purple Heart. I ran over to where she was now standing, and nodded. Well, this confirms one thing.

I was looking at a vampire…or what was left of him. He was still alive, albeit just.

"I knew you'd come, Challenger" he spat out those words imperiously "No doubt you know what I am"

"You destroyed this village and did something to one of my friends" I said by way of reply "Why?"

"Why not?" he coughed "You've managed to gather quite a bit of enemies in the small time you existed in our memory. My lord is most displeased by all the 'hounds' that have appeared in search of what he most desires. Surely you've seen the flying death above us; and have witnessed a stirring that hasn't been felt in Tamriel in quite a long time"

"Listen here you son of a bitch" White Heart grabbed his vampire armor by the neck "I have about had it with the asinine stupidity and the cryptic words. What the hell are you after?"

"The same thing the visitors are after" he replied "The same thing the Dawnguard is after; and the College of Winterhold. And of course, you are also after it"

"What is this 'thing'?" I asked, although I already knew; it would make sense, actually.

"The Elder Scroll of course" his coughing turned to rasps, as he was about to expire "The one that contains the prophesy…and he is so close to achieving his goal"

I snarled so loud, and before anyone could stop me, I kicked right through his rib cage.

 _"_ _This is the same Scroll that Mora was after?"_ Rei asked _"The one he said your brother is searching for?"_

It has to be the same one; it's the only thing that makes sense.

"You killed him before we were able to extract Uni's whereabouts" Green Heart chastised "Now what do we do?"

"We go save her, of course" I looked at them, was loathe to leave them. But we don't have the time to do this properly "I have no idea if Console Patron Units are affected by the Vampirism in Tamriel, but either way we must act fast if Uni is to survive"

"But we don't know where to go" she protested.

"You don't know, but I do" I told her "And that means we're leaving for the mainland now"

"You won't be coming with us?" White Heart looked at me.

"I need to get our fee for killing that apprentice of his" I said; and winced a bit at their expressions "Here is the five hundred gold I was saving for a rainy day" I opened my inventory and took the bag out "The Captain of the Northern Maiden should be there, if Neloth's comment is any indication. He's hardy but of a good sort; tell him you'll give the 500 pieces you have now, and the rest of the payment when you get to Windhelm. I _will_ meet you in Windhelm"

 _"_ _Unless something happens and you can't"_ Rei pointed out.

Nothing's going to happen, but I need Neloth to be in a better mood and a small time to think before we inevitably get stuck in the next conflict.

 _"_ _Ask Neloth if he knows about this Admiral Tarnac"_

I suppose it's worth it.

"If I have to come bail your ass out, you'll be sorry" White Heart narrowed her eyes "Get whatever it is you want to get done and make it quick"

A gust of wind blew their hair around and we all looked above us. It was the closest I'd ever come to seeing a Star Destroyer up close.

If they're really here for that Scroll, then we're running out of time.

 _"_ _What does letting these Play dates go ahead of you really accomplish?"_ Rei wasn't buying my Neloth excuse.

I want to use the Oghma Infinium.

 _"_ _For what! You told us all that it was a very dangerous artifact"_

Telvanni are not to be trifled with. There are three Scrolls in the province of Skyrim, not one. There are enemies I know almost nothing about-Tarnac, that voice, even the vampires are much a mystery to me. Who are the players on this field? What is being strung up like a puppet and who is their own master, seeking the fortune of the Scroll or whatever else?

 _"_ _You're getting side-tracked"_ Rei admonished _"We're here for Alduin-to make him pay. Remember that"_

They have Uni, and I don't know why.

"Joshua?" Purple Heart shook me "Earth to Joshua; are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here" I assured them "Sorry. Listen, fly low, and fly west. You'll come upon Raven Rock. That's where the ship is. Do not attempt to fly over the water, the enemy will spot you and if the Galactic Empire gets a hold of any of you, then it's Game Over"

They nodded once, and flew in the direction I pointed to. Nepgear was the last to go.

"Be safe, Joshua. Aurora depends on it" she flew off afterwards.

I watched them leave and watched the ships above me. What I had just done was irrational, and stupid. They know less than I do and Vert had to carry Noire-we have injured to care for. But Vampire attacks and George Lucas plot devices are too clichéd to be mere coincidence; I don't buy the Galactic Empire being here solely for something they can't possibly use…unless they can?

What would be in an Elder Scroll that so many people want it so badly. Hermaeus Mora even wanted it…and now I'm going to be using his tool like some damn crystal ball. I never would have thought about even Gameindustri a Month ago, and now all of this?

Empire…Voice…Vampire…Daedric Prince…where the hell do I and Alduin even fit in? And why do we fit in?

 _"_ _Are you done with your summarizing monologue?"_ Rei asked me, dryly _"It's not like you're talking to an audience or whatever-that would be boring"_

"Fine" I said to no one in particular. I flew towards Tel Mithryn; and hopefully some answers. By the time I got there, dawn had just come over the horizon. I entered the tower in HDD; actually, I never had ended it from before Skaal Village.

"Oh, you're back" Neloth didn't even look up "I would assume you took care of her, then?"

"I want the payment as promised" I told him.

"After all this, and all you want is money?" he tsked as if it annoyed him "You smell like the rabble you brought here with you. I find that tiresome. Take your gold, then. I left it over there, by my enchanter"

I went and pocketed the huge purse before turning back to him.

"I want to use the Infinium" I said.

"That would only draw Mora's wrath, Andrew" the Dark Elf waved noncommittally "You seek answers from forbidden knowledge and that will inevitably destroy you if overused. You also know this"

"One of my friends was attacked by a group of Vampires"

"I know. All of the Skaal were destroyed-along with a small piece of information that Mora wanted" Neloth looked bored with the conversation "Inconsequential to all but him, admittedly, but I digress. There's only one group of Vampires that are strong enough to break the magic the Skaal depend on; and kill them. You know this all, Joshua. So what do you need the Infinium for, I wonder"  
"You told me before that those ships are here for something, but that it was a complete waste of your time" I clenched my fists "They are after the same thing as the Volkihar Vampires, aren't they?"

"It seems as if I have to spell everything out for you, then" he sighed "Yes, they are after the same thing. Does that really surprise you, though? What the weak will do to obtain power often becomes their greatest downfall. None of them realize that the very thing they are searching for will be their end"

"Mora wanted it too" I said "Uncharacteristic of him, I know, but still. There are three of them in Skyrim. I need to know what one to look out for, because I don't want any of them to get it"

"And why not?" Neloth had my full attention "Why not let them have it? Why not watch their doom happen to them without lifting a finger?"

Because I don't want my brother or my friends getting hurt. Blanc…

"Destroying it's the better option" I said "Better to not take any chances"

"You heroes are all the same" he sighed, bored again "I'm wasting my time. I have things to do, so don't bother me. If the Oghma Infinium is what you desire, you have it so use it. You certainly don't need my permission to read it. Just stay out of my way"

 _"_ _I hope you know what you're doing"_ Rei warned "I wouldn't use it in HDD either. I may…lose control otherwise"


	49. Chapter 49

I deactivated HDD and sat down next to the cage with the Spriggans inside them. They really looked dejected, which surprised me, considering the unchanged expressions in the video game. Yet another thing Bethesda didn't get right I suppose. Opening my inventory, I looked at Rei's few possessions and shook my head. Knowing she was homeless and still protesting was something I never could understand.

 _"_ _I wouldn't want you to"_ Rei told me _"That wasn't the greatest moment of my life"_

"I know" I said "I'm sorry for bringing it up"

I took out the Oghma Infinium and studied the book. This was the thing that forced Blanc into perpetual stasis; living and reliving everything it showed her, including the future…and me. Possibly the only redeeming thing she endured, if I could say it was at all.

As much as I was tempted to view some of the things she saw, I steeled myself for what was necessary. Hermaeus Mora wanted this thing back, and would surely come for it, even in a Telvanni's house. And I needed to know what Scroll everyone was after.

There were three of them in Bethesda's _Skyrim._ One was in the main questline about Alduin; which I know where that one is. I don't need it, having Dragonrend and Alduin's first defeat under my belt as it were. It was only referred to as 'Dragon'. That left 'Blood' and 'Sun'. Knowing what the Elder Scrolls are capable of, I really don't want them getting to any of them, but that's why…

I sighed, and felt the skins on the cover.

That's why this is necessary.

I opened the book, and peered at its pages. They were in a language I had never seen but once before in real life, and that was the black books. I waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing happened. I flipped a page…and another…and another…and still nothing. Why? I closed the book and opened it again, to another page. Again there was nothing.

I wracked my brain, trying for the life of me to understand why. Whenever the player would receive the book in the games, it would give them a choice of one of three paths to follow: Might, Shadow, and Magic. It had never worked a second time, but that was just game logic…and I never technically opened the book. I ripped it from Blanc shortly before Herma Mora took her to Apocrypha. I had a hand on the page she was 'reading' which showed me a future and a vision all at once. The one about my Daughter and Starwars Jacob and Nepgear's training and…

Did that mean I technically 'read' it too?

No it couldn't have been. I didn't get any meaningful information (I mean, I did; but not the kind that was usually given), and I realized right then and there that the Oghma Infinium might just be more than a game flag for gaining levels. I mean, there are several differences already to what was in the game, so it's possible.

I closed the book again.

 _"_ _I don't get it"_ Rei said _"It doesn't work? Just like that? No one's ever denied me when it was important, so why now?"_

I don't have an answer for you, Rei. I wish I did, but-You're seeing this too. It's not working for me. I don't know why.

 _"_ _Let me read it"_ she commanded _"I never touched the damn thing before, that was you. Just 'tag' along with me and get your information. I mean, what do I possibly need from it, besides what you seek? Nothing-hee a ha ha ha ha ha"_

I relinquished control as Rei picked up the book and opened it like she would a novel. There was an immediate difference.

Images flooded my brain like water in a drain; Blanc fighting the other three CPUs in some war of sorts-the fight against an old hag like person that had to be Arfoire-being almost defeated by monsters that gave allegiance to Rei Ryghts-meeting me…loving me…reading to Aurora…

"THIS IS NOT WHAT WE NEED!" Rei drove them all away.

Immediately I started getting images of strength, voices of instruction in the arts of war and domination; then there were Magical feats of infinite proportions while something was talking about the various magics' of Mundus and beyond.

Rei swept it all away before much of it made any sense and yelled:

"GIVE ME THE ELDER SCROLL!"

I was on a stage-a weird group of Storm Troopers stared straight towards the center, of which also had my attention. It was a man I had never seen before, but clearly worked for the Galactic Empire, or something to that effect. It looked different then the uniforms of the movies, but I had already given up that everything was the same as advertised. If Bethesda and their art was different than the Tamriel that actually exists; then George Lucas definitely got it wrong too. The man began to speak.

"Today is the end of the Rebellion" he told his audience commandingly "The end of a nuisance that acquiesces to disorder" This sounds like it won't end well.

"At this very moment in a system far from here, the Rebellion LIES TO THE GALAXY while it deals us all a very serious blow to peace and security" where have I heard this before, I thought dryly as he continued his rant "Their continual fight for 'freedom' undermines what we have achieved since the heinous days of the Clone Wars! But, even as they plot and scheme to destroy us, we have the upper hand!" he gestured to where we were all standing "This fierce machine which you have built, upon which we stand will bring an end to the Jedi, to their Console allies" he took out the Scroll from whatever he was hiding it from and held it up high "With this all remaining systems will BOW TO THE EMPIRE and we will remember this as the **last day of the Rebellion!"**

A huge humming sound filled the very air and the very ground began to shake. At the point when I could no longer deal with the vibrations in my ears, he amazingly screamed above even the humming-

"FIRE!" and my whole world was a deep red as a beam the size of a small lake filled the horizon to the brim.

In that moment, I understood that entire planets were being targeted for destruction.

Another scene showed itself, as I was wiping my tears. There were a bunch of people in a room overlooking a star system I somehow recognized as Tamriel.

"It is done then, Tarnac?" that disembodied voice said, and I realized I was standing right where the owner of the disembodied voice was. I turned, but couldn't see his face, probably because I was seeing things from his eyes "You have disposed of those that know of our involvement in the Gameindustri affair?"

"As I have destroyed our rebellion and the last of the Jedi" he said defensively "The Empire now has total control of the galaxy"

"As it should" another voice entered the fray and I gasped at what I beheld…the sight of the Emperor himself "You have done well to aid our cause, Admiral. You may go now"

The Admiral (who was the man who gave the speech), bowed his submission to the Emperor, gave me-er, the Disembodied voice guy a dirty look and left swiftly.

"Good riddance" a woman said snidely, and again I was dumbstruck at what I appeared to have seen…someone who looked a bit like Nepgear, and yet someone different altogether "I hated the looks he kept giving me. Disgusting"

"As it is" the voice agreed "Such is always necessary, Dreamcast"

"Now that we have ultimate control" the Emperor rasped evilly "What is your next move?"

"Anthony is dead" he replied swiftly "Skywalker, though, has gotten away. I will end Kraxious Five, here and now, and use it's Sun to power my device. Earth will bow to my rule or perish the way the Rebellion and the last of the Jedi did" he handed the Scroll to Dreamcast "Take the Elder Scroll of the Sun to Gameindustri and hide it where our remaining enemy can't reach it. I will finish Skywalker myself" he looked at the Emperor "Prep the Death Star to end Tamriel. I would see it shattered before I go"

"May the Father of Understanding guide me" Dreamcast uttered as if to a lover, and the rest of the room stood, including Darth Vader-which was cool to see in the flesh, I suppose "May the father of understanding guide us!"

I was wrenched from the scene by Rei as she shut the book. She wiped my tears, before putting it back in the inventory.

"It didn't show me where the Scroll was" she said heatedly "It's useless, and you're getting upset. I don't care for any of those fools in that ship. Alduin is the ultimate prize"

 _"_ _It showed me what that Tarnac looks like"_ I said angrily _"And that we have a bigger problem than Alduin"_

"And that isn't my problem at all" she stated "Now, what is this Elder Scroll of the Sun? Is it what we want?"

If we were to get a hold of it before they do-then it's possible that whatever future I saw in that book wouldn't come to pass.

 _"_ _If the Dragon Scroll is where I believe it to still be, then we can ignore it altogether. But despite my many playthroughs of Skyrim, I can't tell you where the specific Scrolls are for Blood and Sun, but I can tell you where we can find their potential locations"_ I sighed, a feat to do so inside my own head but still _"One of them is in a cave by Dragon Bridge and the other…the other is located in a plane of Oblivion called Soul Cairn"_

"Can we trust your knowledge?" Rei asked me "Or do we just destroy this Empire head on?"

 _"_ _I don't know what we'd do if somehow they were moved around…or worse, switched out"_ I didn't want to think about that _"And before we go insane on those guys in the sky, we need to rescue Uni. There are more than just the Empire that want the Scroll"_

What really bothered me outside of Uni being taken prisoner, is that Ubisoft and George Lucas both reared their ugly creations somehow in this, over a freaken Elder Scroll no less. Well, they probably didn't have anything to do with this, but I swear, if another Genre of stupidity takes the playing field I will…

Rei sighed, and got up.

"The next time this happens, perhaps we should take a leaf out of that play-date unit's book and break the fourth wall" she said to no one in particular "I will show the author my displeasure at their bullshit"

 _"_ _Please tell me there isn't a fourth wall?"_ I moaned in my own head, as she exited the tower to head to the mainland. 


	50. Chapter 50

The trip to the mainland did not go well. Half way to Skyrim from Solstheim, Rei encountered a Star Destroyer. Pissed as she was with the information we gathered, she decided to declare a one man strike against the monster vessel. There was a reason I told the others to go by the Ship _Northern Maiden._ The whole damn world can see this fight.

"Die! Die! Die!" she yelled, and it was in her voice completely, meaning if anyone saw her, I would have tarnished my already destroyed man card. HDD does wonders, however. She was winning the fight against the TIE fighters easily.

"You are fighting against the leader of Tauri, fools!" she declared as she threw a TIE fighter towards the Destroyer, and said Destroyer tried to shoot her down for the umpteenth time "You will not even survive long enough to cry to dear old Aldy Tarnac. Ha ha ha ha ha!"

 _"_ _Aldy? Really?"_ I asked, exasperated.

"It's better and more insulting than Admiral" she responded, and giggled more "This is so refreshing to take all my frustration out on these pathetic machines. EXE Attack! Ultimate Bomb!"

She literally blew a hole in the Star Destroyer.

"Aww don't die on me yet" she commanded as the ship began to bow towards the water "I haven't blown up your engine yet"

 _"_ _I'm not sure they carry engines in the traditional sense"_ I pointed out hopelessly as she used another EXE attack and broke it in half.

"Semantics" she watched as the front of the Destroyer entered the water and created a wave of sorts.

 _"_ _Great, now how do we explain to the soon to be drowning citizens of Windhelm that their deaths were an accident?"_ I accused.

"I didn't think about that" Rei said, calming down as the second half entered the water and clashed with the first wave. Well, at least Raven Rock will survive.

"Why did these idiots build so close to the water anyway?" she looked towards the wave heading towards the mainland "They should have realized by now how dangerous it is"

 _"_ _They didn't have insanity knocking at their doors when they made that decision"_ I pointed out as Rei scowled.

She sped towards the wave with the haste of a deranged lunatic-

"Enough with the mental jokes" she barked "I already know my power makes me insane. It's like a constant reminder always in my head because of you"

 _"_ _It isn't my fault the rational part of me knows I'm becoming a loose cannon"_

"Whatever" she sighed and halted right before the charging water "I will end your assault on the city of fools, wave of my making!" she held out my hands "EXE Attack Twin burst!"

 _"_ _Twin burst?"_ I balked _"You just made that up"_

"It's not my fault Ideal Factory didn't name my moves" she growled "Assuming they really created me beyond the Video Game…what was it? Victory?"

She lowered my hands when the wave dispersed, and looked at the city, just a few miles away. Luckily it was foggy there. No one saw the wave crashing down upon them.

"Let's find those useless Playdates, and get this absurd Scroll" She said this in my voice, a sign she was calming down "Before another Star thing shows up"

The flight to Windhelm was rather mundane after defeating a legendary Star Wars icon; what was there to say after a fight like that? Eventually Rei would land, in which I would have a very awkward conversation with whoever was on the docks at the time. Likely, with all the distractions we came across, the Captain of the _Northern Maiden_ would be furious with the lack of payment given after coming to the docks…lack of payment…oh no.

"What are you on about now?" Rei asked me curiously as we landed on the docks.

 _"_ _The Nords of Skyrim are essentially Germans, if you will"_ I said worriedly, as we walked through the Dark Elves and Argonians that littered the docks _"In my world, medieval Germans were more…promiscuous and definitely demanding in all things, especially women. While Bethesda may have toned it down for those of my generation where one gets thrown in jail with a wrong pass towards women, I have no reservations about that happening here-I mean, let's be real here. Of all the Races of Tamriel, the Nords are the most paternal when it comes down to it. Food, battle, drink, and sex pretty much make up a Nord's thinking"_

"And why do I care about any of this?" she asked me.

 _"_ _A million things could go wrong with this scenario"_ I said _"They could be in jail for fraud, they could be killing the fools for making a pass at them, the ship could have sunk with that wave of water you created-"_

"They're CPU's" she said unconcerned "A bunch of idiots freezing in a wasteland with steel and wood should be no match for them. What concerns me is that you automatically jumped to the worst conclusion imaginable…"

Rei stood there with my mouth wide open as the Captain waved our friends away with a mean grin on his face, leering.

"They didn't" I said immediately, and paled when I realized I was in control again. This isn't going to end well.

"And just where were you?!" Noire glared daggers at me, as I had nowhere to hide.

"Where was I?" I repeated, proud that I exhibited the calm I didn't feel "I, ah-told you I would meet you here with the Gold"

"I'm afraid you're just a tad too late" Vert said amiably, despite the situation "We had to pay…in other ways"

"You mean you had to pay" Blanc looked dejected, glaring right at Vert's breasts "They didn't even want me"

 _"_ _I guess you were right to worry"_ Rei sighed _"I didn't think they were that stupid"_

"They wanted Nepgear!" Noire yelled, angrily "Apparently her purple hair was a turn on"

"Turn on!" I spluttered "Just what did they want?!"

"Fan service!" Neptune chirped happily "Of which our very own Vert took them all!"

"Neptune" Vert looked at her "You're giving him the wrong idea. All I did was calm their nerves. Those men are big babies when it comes to it, and needed a mother's touch"

I suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Seriously, I was in the gutter there. But if Vert is happy about what happened, then there's no need to worry.

"Don't look so relieved!" Noire grabbed me by the collar…how did she even get this close? "If it weren't for my Sister being captured, you would be a pile of dirt on the ground right now. It could have been bad! We could of…could have…" her face became red immediately and she slapped my face. Didn't disserve that, just so you all know.

"Wait, that was it?" Neptune sounded put out "You didn't jingle your love mountains over there? Give them the wink, wink, nudge, nudge?"

"What the goodness?" Nepgear exclaimed "Um, Sis. That's not exactly a bad thing"

I would have to sink the ship if that happened.

"Originally, they wanted to engage in Sexual acts, yes" Vert nodded her head "But when I scolded them for thinking about touching my lovely Nepgear, they burst into tears and I spent the last two hours comforting them as a mother hen would gather her chicks. The seas can be a very dangerous place, and they all were really just big boys playing the part of men. They have good tastes, however" she bounced her bouncies…that came out wrong.

"Cut that out, tits for brains, or we'll see just what tastes they have at the bottom of the lake!" Blanc had the evil eye.

"Now, Blanc; there's no need to take them out" Vert smiled "They appreciate maturity more than childishness"

"That's it-" Rooaarrr. Blanc stopped mid-stride and locked eyes with mine. The roar happened again, followed by futuristic laser sounds. No way, the Galactic Empire battling Dragons! This I have to see.

Before I even tried to clear the skies, Noire grabbed me by the collar.

"Uni first" she ordered.

My face fell; she's right after all.

"Yes, of course" I said "But things have changed, and not for the better" I looked at them "While you were all on the ship coming here, I stumbled upon a crucial piece of information" I had their attention, for now. The noises only got more tempting, that is to say, closer "The battles raging on Tamriel right now are for a very specific Elder Scroll, which would help the wrong people gain access to weaponry powered by the stars themselves. Uni is important to all of us, but while we go and get her, if the situation presents itself; we need to capture and/or destroy this Scroll"

"But can the Scrolls be destroyed?" Nepgear offered "There won't be any adverse effects to their destruction?"

"Alduin is capable of World destruction" I told them "They don't call him the World Eater for nothing. What the Imperials have in store for even us in Gameindustri is much, much worse. If we fail to kill Alduin, he will kill us for sure, but if we fail to stop the Empire…they will inflict worse on those who survive"

"And another flag has been activated" Neptune sang "Gee, you're really good at this stuff, Joshua"

"Thanks, I suppose" I sighed "We have a long trek ahead of us, and I won't risk HDD unless we don't have a choice, and if we don't have a choice, then we're in bigger trouble than a lifetime's worth of bosses and dungeons. I honestly don't know if the Scrolls can be destroyed. It's never been done, to my knowledge anyway. Even so, we have to try"

"Right" Nepgear said "For the good of all Gameindustri"

I agree.

"Lead the way, then" Noire said "I'm not even going to try to downplay this, I have no idea where to go"

She understands what little time Uni has left then.

 _"_ _What about Windhelm, and rest?"_ Rei said _"It won't do to have you collapse on the road"_

Noire would kill me if I suggested it. Thanks for the concern, though.

"We'll circle around the city south" I suggested "It's slightly less cold, and I don't see you having winter gear in your inventories, with the exception of Blanc anyway. There's plenty of bandits to kill, or let's hope there is anyway. Otherwise we'll have to go in the city"

Noire shot daggers at me, like I thought she would.

 _"_ _It's her funeral"_ Rei said.


End file.
